Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by light4dawn
Summary: This story is the sequel for Journey to a New Day. The Cullens have left Forks, there is a "treaty" between the Wolves and the Volturi, and Bella has chosen Jacob above all others. It would seem everything should be perfect, but why isn't it? Complete
1. Prologue  Living the Dream

_Although this is a sequel to my first fanfic story, Journey to a New Day, it can be read without having read the first story in its entirety. I would recommend that you read the last three chapters, (Participant, Treaty and Escaping Destiny)._

_The Prologue picks up at the very moment where Chapter 15 - Escaping Destiny left off. The only difference is that this story is in Jacob's point of view rather than Bella's._

_Thanks goes to **ShadowPast620**, who beta'ed this only hours after having beta'ed the last chapter of my previous fic. Wait? Have you not read my previous fic, Ascent From Darkness? Go read it! Now! (Or at least after this Prologue)_

_**Warning**: This story contains: controversial, mature and sensitive subject matter, violence, coarse language, possible character death(s) and sexual content_

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><p><strong>Prologue - Living the Dream<strong>

_August 14th, 2006_

I was afraid. What if she didn't know what she was doing? What if she wasn't sure? I wanted this — I wanted _her_ — so badly. Being taken over by the wolf just moments before didn't help, either. I was already dazed and unable to concentrate. It was difficult to consider the more intellectual arguments when everything in me was screaming, _yes_! But I stopped her ― which made the screaming voice yell, _no_!

"Bells, this isn't right. Not now, and not like this." I stroked her head ― it felt so different without all that hair ― then made my way down to her chin, lifting her face up to look at me. It was just as I'd suspected. "You know it's not like that, right?" Of course, she wouldn't meet my eyes. "Look at me." Finally, she tilted her gaze up to me, with those big, round eyes. "You're so damn beautiful, and I want to touch you, kiss you, and _be_ with you, every single moment. If you don't believe me, you can ask anyone in the pack. They're all sick and tired of my Bella fantasies." Finally, she smiled. How could she think I had stopped because I didn't want her? Forget that she was hot, or that I was a guy, or the fact that I was sixteen, I absolutely loved her, and she knew it. But, that was Bella.

"Jake, this _is_ right. We love each other."

"Yes, we do. That's why this isn't the right time." She opened her mouth to speak again, but I put a finger to her lips, silencing her momentarily. "I want it to happen when you're thinking straight, not when you're hurt, scared or feeling guilty." She was taken aback by my assessment. "Bells, you just came from visiting Edward. Not only are you covered in his … odour, but I can actually _taste_ it inside your mouth."

Immediately, her hand went to cover her mouth as her eyes opened wider in shock. Even in the dim moonlight, I could see her face had turned bright red.

"Oh my gosh, Jake! I'm so sorry! I … I … I don't know what happened. I can't even explain it. It was like I had no control." I pulled her into my arms and held her tight, stroking the back of her head with my hand.

"Shh…. It's okay, Bells. I don't like it, but I understand. I wish it hadn't happened, but it's over now, and you came back to me." I pulled away just enough to get a look at her face. There were tears running down her cheeks. I wiped one with my thumb. "Just tell me I'm a better kisser, and I'll never bring it up again." And there it was. I knew it was against her will, but a smile escaped.

"I don't deserve you, Jake. I promised myself I'd be different, that I wouldn't hurt people anymore, and here I am doing it, again."

"You must think I'm a real pansy to think _you_ could take me."

"You know what I'm talking about."

"I do, and you did nothing to hurt me."

She sighed with resignation.

"I just want you to know … we didn't really _do_ anything. Not really. I mean we _kissed_." She was rambling, and it was cute. "It wasn't like what we used to do. He let me kiss him … _more_ than he used to … but still, we didn't … you know … I mean he touched‒" Okay, now it wasn't so cute.

"Stop!" I interjected. "Okay, I get it. I said I was fine with it, but I definitely do _not_ want to hear the details."

"Oh, sorry." Again, she looked down with that dejected face. Now it was _my_ turn to sigh.

"I know you were just trying to make me feel better, Bells. I'm sorry I raised my voice."

"No, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I'm just kind of uncomfortable about what happened."

"Good." I smiled down at her. I was determined to get her to relax before this night was over.

"What's so good?"

"What's good is that kissing Cullen makes you uncomfortable and fills you with guilt, just like any little woman of mine _should_ feel after being disobedient." Yup, that did it. She scrunched up her face and slapped my arm.

"Jake! Don't be such a Neanderthal."

"_You're_ the one that's resorted to physical violence, and _I'm_ the buffoon?"

"Oh, you're just impossible!" And there it was, my smile. I pulled her to me again. She twisted around so that she was leaning back onto my chest. If I looked down carefully, I could get glimpse of her face as it rested just below my collarbone. My arms were wrapped around her ribcage, and hers were crossed on top of mine.

Bella was still smiling, looking up at the stars. She seemed happy and comfortable in her own skin. Her hands moved back and forth along my arms, and once in a while she would turn her head, rubbing her cheek on my bare chest. It was intoxicating.

"Bells?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking how lucky I am to have you and how much I love you."

"How do you feel?"

"Really happy, and relaxed. I feel like the weight of the world has just lifted off my shoulders."

Okay, so now she was happy, relaxed, and not in the least bit guilty. The arguments started in my head again. I heard one side scream _yeah, yeah; you're still a guy with needs, okay?_ I decided to test the waters first. I bent down and kissed her neck. My lips made a slow trail to her ear. She let out a soft, quiet moan, which really did _not_ help with the self-control part of this. My hands moved to the sides of her torso and up, then forward again, slowly. I could feel the soft swell of her breasts as my hands made their way across. Her heart skipped a beat, and I heard a sharp gasp. I stopped — thinking I had gone too far — but she got off my lap and turned herself around to face me. She sat back down, her legs straddling me. I pulled her closer and felt her legs wrap around my waist, as her arms wound around my neck.

Her lips met mine, but it wasn't soft, or hesitant. She was searching, forceful and hungry. Her lips and her body moved with the same vigour as that nagging voice in my head.

"Bella," I sighed into her mouth.

She didn't answer. Instead, I felt her mouth leaving a moist trail to my chin, my neck and down my chest. Her hands invaded my skin, travelling everywhere they could reach. They grabbed the waistline of my shorts and slid inside.

I nearly had a heart attack. Well, at least that's what it felt like to me. My mind was telling me this was wrong, that I was taking advantage of her vulnerable state, but my body was doing cartwheels. I'm ashamed to say, my body won. To be fair, my poor head had no blood or oxygen.

I slid to the side, just far enough that I could slowly lean back, taking Bella with me. In moments, I was lying on my back with Bella on top of me. She was licking and kissing my chest, as her smooth fingers touched me beneath my shorts. That's when I felt her tug harder on my clothes. She pulled with what I was sure was most of her strength. Soon, I was bare from my head to the middle of my thighs. Her head moved down my body, kissing every part of me along its descent.

I felt her tongue, her lips and her teeth slide down my chest, my abdomen, out to my hips and then started creeping to the middle.

"Bells," I gasped, grabbing hold of her head, to stop her advance. It took more effort and strength than anything else I had ever done in my life.

She stopped and looked up at me with sultry eyes. I forgot how to breathe. She was waiting for me to speak, but no words came to my lips.

"I want to show you how much I want this, and you," she said.

_Oh my fucking god!_ I thought. There was just no way I was going to be able to stop her. My mouth opened because I wanted to say something, but my body took over and refused to let any noise escape.

That's when her head tilted down and I felt her soft, wet tongue touch me. I thought I was going to die from overwhelming pleasure. Was it possible to die from that? Shit! I really wished I had taken care of myself today. I didn't want to explode in her mouth, but there was no fucking way I was going to convince my hands to lift her head up from _there_ a second time.

My hands had betrayed me (_yippee!_) but my voice was coming back (_crap_).

"Bells, no, no, no. Your first time shouldn't be this. Please."

Her tongue ran the length, and I lost the ability to breathe, again. Her lips grazed me as she spoke, her breath warm and moist. "I know this is your first time, too. _Your_ first time _should_ be like this, and more. I want to give, Jake. I want to be the one to make everything good, not the one that takes it away." Then her mouth plunged down, becoming completely filled with _me_.

My hands formed fists in the moss as my whole body was possessed by Bella. I was writhing and fighting the urge to let go, to release everything into her. All those fantasies I'd had were nothing compared to this. One second inside Bella was more than all the lustful imaginings I'd ever had.

Her mouth finally let go of me. I was relieved and disappointed at the same time, but then I felt her tongue just behind. She sucked gently, one round mouthful slipping in past her lips, and then she moved to give the other equal treatment. My head was exploding. What was even better — or worse, depending on how you looked at it — was that I could _smell_ her. She was radiating desire. Bella was enjoying this _almost_ as much as me (because _no one_ could enjoy this as much as I did).

It took three attempts, but I was finally able to speak again.

"Bella, you have to give me a break. I'm going to lose it. I don't want this to end, not now. Please."

She relented, but not without letting out a quiet groan that sounded like disappointment. Even that drove me wild. With her mouth above my waist, I was finally able to get enough control to flip her over onto her back. She let out a sweet little squeal.

I felt like I was completely wound up. My body was in a frenzy. I nearly attacked her, grabbing her shirt and pulling it off her body so violently I was surprised it didn't tear. I undid her bra with one hand while my other worked on her jeans. Times like this, I loved the werewolf dexterity. I could feel little goose bumps forming on her limbs. I wasn't sure if it was the situation, or the Washington air, but I wasn't taking any chances. I lowered my body onto hers once her clothes were off, keeping the full weight from crushing her by propping myself up slightly with my arms.

It was electric. I could feel her smooth skin against my bare chest as I kissed her. There were slim, soft legs wrapped around me as little feet moved up and down my back. What drove me to the brink of frenzy was the damp, soft hair that grazed me just below my navel.

My mouth left her lips, as I started my slow descent. I only got as far as the subtle swells of her chest when I felt her body arch. She let out a loud gasp and whispered, "Jacob!" That just made me more frenetic. I moved my tongue in circles as my lips descended down her abdomen towards the alluring bouquet, when I felt her hands grab my hair.

"No!" I froze. I knew what no meant. I looked up at her, worried.

She smiled reassuringly.

"Don't be naughty, Jacob. I told you, _I_ want to be the one doing everything today."

"Bella, I _want_ to do this. I need to." I tried to give her what I hoped was a smoldering expression. It must have worked, because I saw her determined face melt away into yearning. Unlike me however, her voice didn't betray her.

"No, Jacob. We do this _my_ way." Fuck me blue! Was there anything she could say that _wasn't_ going to make me burst?

She pulled my head up, and I complied. Bella started getting up onto her knees as she pushed me forward, forcing me up as well. She looked around briefly before pulling me toward a tree. Using small pushes and pulls of my arms, she directed me to sit with my back against it. I sat looking up at her as she stood before me, standing between my outstretched legs. Bella began descending slowly. She was on her hands and knees, crawling from my feet up to my thighs. In seconds, she took hold of me and lowered her head engulfing me in her mouth again.

I was afraid I'd do something wrong. I wanted to touch her, but I didn't want to hurt her, or lose control. I stretched my hands behind me, gripping the tree. Her tongue was so smooth and warm. It slid easily, up and down as her lips hugged me tightly. I tried to say her name, or anything, but it took too much concentration just to breathe. It was too much. I couldn't take this anymore. I reached my hands around to grab her head but she swatted them away. As strong as I was, I couldn't disobey her.

"Bells, please. You have to get up. I can't hold it anymore." What happened next was so unexpected, especially from Bella. It was so out of character that I hadn't even fantasized about it before.

She lifted her mouth up partway and spoke, with me still half inside. "I want it in me. I want to feel it happen inside my mouth." Before I could respond, she plunged down, taking all of me, and I exploded. My hands gripped the tree behind me, fighting the urged to grab her head and push it in further. I could feel bark crumbling beneath my fingers as I emptied into Bella's mouth.

It took me a minute of deep breathing to come to my senses. When I did, I noticed tears had formed around my eyes. Bella was lying on top of me, and my arms were wrapped around her body. My breathing was rapid and uneven, still.

"Oh my god, Bells. I want to move, but it's like every muscle in my body has turned to mush. I just … holy shit! Bella!"

She lifted her head from my chest and looked up into my eyes.

"I love you so much, Jacob. This is exactly what I wanted to do tonight." I grabbed her and lifted her up. My lips met hers, and we exchanged a long, soft kiss. My fingers roamed her back as my tongue explored her mouth. The scent came back. The good thing was, I was in better condition to control myself and make some actual decisions. It was my turn. I swept her up in my arms as I stood up. My feet roamed around for some clothes as I kissed her. Again, thank you Ephraim for giving me the super-human dexterity to do this. I was able to make a small bed of our discarded clothes without letting go of her. I lay Bella gently down on top of this and let my hands roam her body.

My mouth started at her ears, down to her chin, along her neck, and stopped to play with the pink peak of her breast. She let out a little squeal. My hand caressed the other swell as my fingers gently clasped the small, round tip. After a few more squeals and groans I moved down, my tongue making circular explorations of her ribs, her abdomen and her hips. She took a few quick breaths in and then held it as her body arched. Her hands grabbed my hair, and I could feel them pushing me down, to the middle, to my destination.

"Jacob, please. Jake, I want you. I _need_ you!" I couldn't believe it only took sixteen years to hear the girl of my dreams say those words to me. I was the luckiest guy on earth, and I wouldn't disappoint.

I made a trail with my mouth from her hip to the soft hill. The wetness, the scent, the soft flesh … it besieged me. I ran my tongue from top to bottom before covering it all with my lips. I exhaled and touched the small point. She gasped loudly as her hips suddenly lifted up. I guessed that that was good. My tongue fluttered on her as she panted. I moved faster and brought my finger up just beneath. I felt around, circling slowly and gently, becoming familiar with all that was _her_. Slowly, gingerly, I slipped my finger inside. She gasped again, louder. My finger moved in small circles before pushing in further. Her breath hitched as her fists gripped my hair.

"Oh god, yes. Jacob …"

My tongue never left its position as it continued, faster and faster. My finger moved in slowly, making small, slow, circular motions as it crept deeper and deeper. I wasn't sure what would be best for Bella. I moved it in and out and felt her arch into me. I bent my finger, brushing the walls of the canal. She let out a high pitched, "Oh!" I was going to take it for granted that _that_ was better. I moved my finger, rubbing that spot softly, but swiftly, as my tongue and mouth remained, working.

Her body was getting stiff and hot as her hand clenched harder onto my hair. That's when I heard her scream. She actually screamed. Loudly. I felt strong pulsating inside her as she let out one last wail ending in, "Jake!" She clamped down on my finger. It filled me with desire as the blood left my head — again.

Bella collapsed on the bed of clothes, her arms outstretched on either side. I lay next to her, making sure my body touched hers everywhere it could, to keep her warm. I ran my hand up and down her bare torso, admiring the luminescence of her skin in the moonlight. She lifted an arm and brushed a lock of hair away from her damp face. Her lips turned upwards, breaking into a wide grin. She rolled onto her side, facing me, as her arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Mmmm … I've never felt so good before," she said, as she swung a leg over mine and shifted closer. Her thigh rubbed against that part of me that was selfishly sucking away all the blood from my head. She rubbed up and down, on top of me.

"Bells…"

"You want more, don't you?"

"I always want you. Tonight's been more than I ever imagined. I don't need anything else, ever."

She didn't listen to me. Bella shifted until she was on top, her body flush against me. Her hands grabbed my neck as her lips smashed down onto mine. I could feel her tongue claiming ownership of my mouth. I happily gave up everything to her. I had always been ready to give her everything.

Her lips moved slowly away from mine. I let out a soft groan of disappointment, but it was instantly silenced as she breathed softly into my ear, her lips brushing gently against it. They moved, leaving a cool trail on my face, travelling to my chin, my neck and then my chest. Her face moved away as her palms lay open on me. She pushed herself upright, straddling me. I could feel her — wet, hot and wanting — on top of me — hard, throbbing and desperate. She moved, and I felt the soft, wet flesh slide on me.

I let out a low, grunting — and really, quite pathetic — groan that was some mix of "ooh" and "uuh".

"Bells, I don't want to hurt you." I was able to think long enough to reach down and run my fingers along, between her thighs. I put one finger inside, making small circles. She curved outward and moaned. I slowly slid a second finger and heard her take a sharp breath in. My fingers moved slowly inside her as she started to relax. Her breathing became heavy as her sighs turned to moans. I moved in larger circles. Her breath hitched again, but this time she pressed into my hand. I could see her skin catch the moonlight, as her hair fell away from her face.

Her hips moved up, away from me ever so slightly, and she grabbed me with her hand. I felt as she moved it against her, sliding and searching. That's when my head seemingly exploded. I felt just the top slide ever so slowly inside her. Instantly, my hands pulled away from her and grabbed desperately at the ground. The only thing my body wanted to do was push her down on me, hard. The only thing my head wanted to do was let her go slowly, at her own pace. It was torture, and it was fantastic.

Her hips descended gingerly. With every millimeter, my heart skipped a beat. I thought I was going to hyperventilate if I wasn't completely inside her soon. Beheading vampires was nothing compared to this. She let out a quiet squeal as I slipped further and further inside. It was warm and close. It felt like my flesh was attached to hers and even air couldn't get between us.

"Oh my god, Bells!"

She was relaxed, sitting on me, her thighs no longer holding her up because I had arrived! I was in! Shit, guys were such idiots! I felt like doing cartwheels, but that would have meant I'd have to get up and there was _no_ way that was going to happen.

_Oh god, what's that_? I thought as she moved up, a part of me leaving her body. Just as I was going to grunt in disappointment, her hips moved down again, slowly. Holy shit! I didn't think _anything_ could feel like _that_! She was lifting herself up again.

_Hold it together, Jake, _I thought to myself._ You have __**got**__ to last longer than two goddamn thrusts! They'll take away your werewolf membership if you can't last ten fucking seconds! Crap! She's doing it again! Okay, think about something else. What else? _

My brain wasn't working. Sam, I'd think about Sam.

_Okay, that's good. Breathe._

Feeling a little more in control, I hesitantly brought my hands up and placed them on her hips. I moved them with her, feeling the rhythm being created by us. Then she shifted, and I heard her shout, "Oh my god, Jake. Oh, right there!" She started moving faster, in and out, until suddenly, I could feel pulsing inside her. It was driving me crazy. Even the thought of Sam's hairy ass wasn't going to work now. She screamed. I mean she really screamed, as her head tilted up to the sky. She clamped down on me from the inside, and I burst into a million pieces.

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><p><em>Here is the update schedule for now:<br>Chapter 1 will be posted on Monday February 6th (sorry, I know, more than a week).  
>Chapter 2 will be posted on Tuesday February 14th<br>Chapter 3, and all subsequent chapters, will be posted every Tuesday, unless otherwise notified._

_The first few chapters may seem slow in coming, but the update schedule should pick up after that._

_For those who followed my last fic, Ascent From Darkness (AU - BD, J/B), I know you may have become a little spoiled by the quick updates. It was just one of those stories that magically flew out of my fingers, onto the keyboard._

_For those who haven't read it yet, that's something you can do while you're waiting for the next update! It's only 17 chapters long!_

_Thank you for reading this story, and I hope you liked the Prologue._

_As always, reviews are appreciated!_


	2. Chapter 1: Happy Birthday Bella

_We now fast forward about seven years to Bella's twenty-fifth birthday._

_Thanks go out to my new pre-reader from Sparkly Red Pen, **Iamtwilightobsessed (MP)**! Thanks for helping me make this chapter a better read!_

__**Warning**: This story contains controversial, mature and sensitive subject matter, violence, coarse language, possible character death(s) and sexual content__

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Happy Birthday Bella<strong>

_September 2013_

It was an unusual day for September in Forks. The sun was bright and the sky was mostly blue, with only a few fluffy white clouds. It was warm enough that Bella was wearing shorts and a tee-shirt. She almost never wore shorts outdoors.

Bella, my wife, the love of my life, the mother of my children, it was her day today, and I was going to make sure everything went her way. We were at the park with a huge picnic lunch Leah and Seth had brought over. I would have to remember to thank them ― and Sue, of course; we all knew who had really done the work.

We left Leah and Seth to set up the food on picnic tables, while the two of us went to meet up with the grandparents. It was really nice that all of them could be here together. It seemed we rarely saw Renée and Phil. I walked alongside Bella, pushing Serena as she napped in the stroller. She was the only one I had been allowed to name, and she looked just like Bella. Her skin wasn't quite as pale as her mother's, but it was pale enough that many people did a double take when they found out I was her father. Her hair was slightly darker than Bella's but still brown. She had a heart-shaped face, lovely rosebud lips, and a pink flush that came over her cheeks constantly. She was our best sleeper.

Off in the distance, I could see my dad and Phil chatting it up next to the swing set. Phil was pushing Lola ― I still couldn't believe Bella had let Leah name her ― on a swing, while Trevor ― Seth's name ― dangled daringly from the monkey bars. Charlie and Renée were running around trying to position themselves under him, in an attempt to thwart any mishaps.

It was Lola who saw us approach first. She screamed, "Daddy!" as she jumped off the swing, still in flight. Renée ran after her, grabbing a hand. Trevor swiftly followed suit, dragging Charlie with him. The sun was shining behind them, creating a halo effect. It looked like a dream. I looked over at Bella, and I was swollen with joy and pride. She didn't meet my gaze; instead, she looked off into the distance, past our children, past the park, and into some unknown.

It had been like this for a while now. I was hoping things would change, but they hadn't, and I was out of ideas.

I saw the hopeful looks on my children's faces, and the blank, inattentive stare on my wife's. I nudged her gently.

"Bells, the kids are coming." I squeezed her hand tighter, pulling it a little towards me. "Bella?"

"Hmm?" She was jolted out of her daze, as she turned to look at me. It was like she had woken up from a hundred year sleep.

"The kids…" I pointed in the direction of her parents, and our children, as they closed the distance between us.

She looked up, awareness dawning upon her. She stopped and looked around at her surroundings, as though surprised to be here. That's when Renée's grip on Lola was lost, as our daughter came bolting toward us. Bella looked up at her daughter, and I saw a hopeful smile form on her lips. I silently chanted in my head, _Go to Mommy; go to Mommy; go to Mommy._

It was all for naught. She ran right into me, jumping as high as she could, grabbing hold of me with her legs and arms. I had to let go of Bella to get a grip on her, so she wouldn't fall. Lola didn't even look over at her mother. The past year of receiving care without joy from her mother had created this. Our daughter planted kisses on my cheeks and started chattering on about how high Phil had pushed her on the swing. Bella looked like she might cry, until that haze went over her eyes again, sucking the life out of them. She was looking outward again, out into the horizon, into some unknown.

I bit my lip, holding back my own pain. I couldn't let Lola see. I had to protect her from the sadness that had swept over her parents' lives.

What had happened? How had a love that had overcome the supernatural become clouded by human circumstances? How could this have happened to us? How was this going to be the thing that broke us when Edward and the Volturi hadn't?

We went through the motions of being a family, as we always had. The past year had turned Bella into a superb actor, but the only people fooled by it were Renée and Phil. The rest of us were too familiar with her to succumb to the simulated happiness, so instead, we all put on our own act, as though our lives were perfect.

The food was finished, and the last bites of cake lay on a few plates here and there. The children were getting restless, as I saw Leah and Renée putting things away. That's when I noticed a couple coming towards us in the distance. They seemed a little too chic for this small town. At first, I thought they were younger than us, but realized I only _felt _older. The weight of responsibility had made me a middle-aged man before my time.

The two of them were walking closer, and I noticed the guy looking straight at us, almost staring. It bugged me. He didn't even make an effort to look away when I stared back. Then, he raised an arm and waved. Was he someone I knew? Who did I know that wasn't Quileute, and hadn't seen in a long enough time to recognize right away?

"Jacob? Bella?" I heard him yell over at us. His face looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen it. I noticed Bella turning towards the voice, squinting to make out the figures approaching. Recognition lit up her eyes, as she smiled, and wave them over. At first, I was happy to see her light up like that, but then her face fell, as her hand went to her hair, trying to comb it with her fingers. I decided he must be a friend of hers from high school, probably someone who used to sit at our table, but older than me. It wasn't Ben; he had been shorter than this guy and definitely not Eric — he wasn't blond and fair like that. It must the kid whose parents owned the sporting goods shop; I was sure of it.

"Hey, how are you?" he said, extending a hand out. Bella grabbed hold of it, and allowed him to pull her up.

"Hi, Mike," she replied, sounding shy. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, about seven years, I guess." He looked around briefly, stopping when he got to me, and smiled. "Hey, Jacob, are these your kids? They're cute."

"Yup, they're _our _children," I replied, standing to my full height, and draping an arm around Bella's shoulders.

"Hey, you two got married? That's great!" Then I saw him stare intently at Trevor. "You must have had the wedding right out of high school, huh?"

I noticed Bella blushing, as she looked away. She waved over at Renée, who walked toward us, noticing her daughter's discomfort.

"Mike, I don't think you've ever met my mom," Bella said, as she began the introductions. "Mom, this is Mike, an old friend from high school, and Mike, this is my mom, Renée."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Mike." Renée held out her hand, shaking Mike's.

"It's great to meet you, Renée. You're as beautiful as your daughter," he replied, smiling. "Oh, and this is my girlfriend, Ashley. Ashley, this is Bella, a former classmate, her husband Jacob, who also went to school with us during my last year, and Bella's mom, Renée."

The girl dangling off Mike's arm waved shyly and replied with a friendly, "Hi, nice meeting all of you."

It was an awkward twenty minutes, as little by little, Bella reluctantly revealed to Mike that we had gotten married before I had graduated high school, that Trevor was born mere months after that, and I did unskilled labor work, an hour's drive from home. To top it all off, Mike offered to get ice-creams for the kids when the music from one of those trucks travelled to our little corner, and Bella ended up having to explain that Trevor was allergic to half the foods most people in America ate.

"Well, we have to get going, Mike. Lola still naps," I announced, making motions to walk away. "It's been great catching up. You here visiting your folks?"

"Actually, no. I just finished up dental school. I took out the world's largest loan to set up an office here in town," he answered, smiling proudly. "You know, I'm taking new patients, and I'm good with kids," he announced. I saw Bella's face fall. And to think, I was going to mention how I was apprenticing to get my mechanic's license. At this point, it would be like showing off your Grand Am to a guy that had just driven up in his new Maserati.

"Y… your _Dr_. Newton, now?" Bella asked.

"Yup. I got in just after third year too. I was going to do a residency, to specialize, but missed it here. Can you believe it? I missed Forks! Hey, are you guys living here, or in La Push?"

"We're in town," I replied.

"That's great! So are we. Well, not exactly _in_ town, but you know, just outside. I bought the old Cullen place. I mean, my folks loaned me the down payment and all, but I'm sure once my practice picks up I'll be able to pay them right back. What about you? Where are you guys living? You know, we should get together, catch up on old times."

This was too much. It was salt on Bella's wounds. I saw the red flush of shame take over her face as she muttered, "We're living in Charlie's old house. He's married to Sue Clearwater, and they have a place in La Push."

"Cool. So your kids are going to grow up in the same house you did!"

"I never grew up there, Mike. My parents divorced when I was a baby, remember? I came to Forks in my junior year."

"Oh, yeah. How could I forget?" He turned to his girlfriend, apparently his _live-in_ girlfriend, and said, "Hey, Ashley, I used to have the biggest crush on Bella! She was the new girl my junior year, and the prettiest one at that! You remember how many times I tried to ask you out back then, Bella?"

"Yeah, I guess," Bella answered, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.

Mike chucked, "One time I thought I had gotten a date to the movies with her, but it turned into a group event, except everyone cancelled at the last minute. Well, everyone but me and Jacob here." Mike pointed to me with his thumb, like a hitchhiker. "Can you imagine? I show up at Bella's place and this gigantic guy's waiting around on her front lawn! Talk about intimidating!" Bella turned her face away, looking down, but I could still see that her eyes were getting red and moist.

"Hey, Bells, I think your dad needs a hand," I said, trying to rescue her from the torture of regret and envy.

"Oh, yes, I better go check on him," she said, as she walked away without saying goodbye.

"Well, we have to get going; kids don't wait for a convenient time to have meltdowns," I stated.

"Yeah, sure, I understand. Well, it was great bumping into all of you. We should set up something, you know, maybe dinner?"

"Sure, sure. It's a small town. We'll give you a call when things are less busy." I turned and walked away, not bothering to shake Mike's hand. I couldn't. I knew he had done nothing wrong, but if I touched him, I was afraid I'd hurt him.

We got home in time to put Lola down for her nap. I stayed out in the backyard with Trevor, in an attempt to keep him from waking his sister. Bella was in the house with Serena, desperately trying to nurse her.

"Bells, it's okay. She already had some today, and she's seven months old."

"I'm fine; just leave me alone with her for a bit, and it'll be fine. Why don't you take Trevor out so we he doesn't wake Lola?"

"Sure, sure," I answered, taking my son's hand as he bounced off the couch. "Come on, buddy, let's go out to the backyard."

It had always been difficult for her. No one really knew the reason why. She had visited the breast feeding clinic several times, bought a ton of books, and in desperation, had even had Sue come over to help, letting go of all modesty. Even after all that, it was a struggle. For whatever reason, Lola, and now it appeared Serena as well, never latched on easily, and were very lackluster feeders.

Bella pumped around the clock, this time and years ago with Lola, determined to exclusively nurse until six months and continued even after solids were introduced. She did this because of her guilt. She blamed herself for Trevor's allergies. It hadn't mattered what anyone told her; in her mind it was her fault, her lack of persistence, that had made Trevor develop his dairy allergy. While it wasn't the only one he had, it was the most inconvenient. Trevor had only been breast fed for two weeks, after which, Bella gave up, thoroughly frustrated. Bella found a job just two weeks after that, determined not to be a burden. Trevor was passed from Sue, Charlie, Billy and Leah while the two of us worked.

Trevor's milk allergy was discovered by Sue, when he was six weeks old. She told us her suspicions, and after confirming with a specialist, we started the arduous process of finding a formula he could tolerate. Bella began taking various herbal concoctions and pharmaceuticals to try and lactate, pumping every time she was home, in hopes of giving him breast milk, but it never happened.

It was heartbreaking for everyone. To this day, Trevor still couldn't eat food served at birthday parties, on school pizza days, and at most restaurants.

Bella had given up two scholarships when we found out she was pregnant with Trevor. I had scraped by and gotten my diploma, but just barely. A couple of years later, when things settled, she had enrolled in some courses part time at Peninsula College, only to find out she was pregnant again. We had tried to be careful, but once in a while things got set by the wayside. Bella didn't react well to the hormones in oral contraceptives and IUDs, and the condoms we ended up using were inconvenient, to say the least.

It was about this time that Charlie had decided to sell the house and move in with Sue in La Push. We were all set to move into our own apartment after living with him for over two years, but the new baby changed all that. Bella withdrew from school, and Charlie insisted we stay on at the house and pay him when we were back on our feet. I hated having to take hand outs from my father-in-law to support my family.

We were much more careful after that, and Bella suffered through the nausea for more reliable birth control. We were both irritated that I couldn't get a vasectomy. Even if I didn't heal right away, making the procedure useless, I couldn't go to a doctor either. Being a hundred and eight degrees, never mind everything else, made it impossible.

Things eventually settled again, and we had actually started giving Charlie a little money every month for the house when Bella got an infection, went on antibiotics and got pregnant again. We knew the medication might lesson the effects of birth control, so I had used condoms as well, but the little wolf swimmers were persistent. Bella did _not_ find the humor in that.

Serena was born via cesarean section, and Bella had gotten her tubes tied at the same time. Our insurance hadn't covered all of it. All payments to Charlie had ceased, we were in debt, and we had three children.

Trevor and I were out back now, passing around a baseball.

"Daddy, I'm bored. Can we go to the beach?"

"Sorry, buddy, we have to stay close to home. Mom's going to need my help with Serena soon, so she can cook."

"She's always cooking," he pouted, but I ignored the comment. I couldn't tell him she spent so much time preparing food because of his allergies.

How could I make him understand, without internalizing it? Bella wanted Trevor to feel normal at home, so the whole family ate the same thing. That meant she had to jump through hoops to make food that everyone liked, had all the nutrients, and wouldn't send Trevor into anaphylactic shock.

"Come here. Why don't we go to the garage and work on Daddy's car? I'll let you help, okay?"

"Will you let me help for real, not just pass you tools?"

"Sure, sure," I replied, ruffling his hair as we walked.

This garage looked much better than the one I had made in La Push as a kid, but it was still not much more than an oversized shed. Charlie's property didn't have a lot of level ground, so I couldn't make it large enough to hold more than one car and my tools.

Currently, I was working on an old Ford Taurus. It was slow going because I didn't have as much time as I used to, but we needed a second car. We had to sell Bella's truck and my Rabbit to buy the minivan. The Harley was the only thing left of all the vehicles I had built, and that was just so I could get to work and back. Bella had wanted me to keep the Rabbit, saying it was more practical, but I couldn't let the bike go. There were too many memories attached to it. Good or bad, it was a part of our story.

I worked contentedly, allowing Trevor to "help" at regular intervals. I had him tighten things, or I asked him to use his small fingers to reach for this or that. Most of them were tasks I had made up, just for him, but it made both of us happy.

I sent Trevor back to the house a few times, to check to see if Bella needed me, but Serena had fallen asleep as well, allowing Bella to go about her work undisturbed.

I was under the car, with Trevor lying next to me, when I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Black, get your ass out from under that car, and talk to your best friend!"

"Will you watch the language around my kid, Quil?" I muttered, sliding out and wiping my hands on my pants.

"Oh, sorry, man. I forgot." He always forgot. "I just wanted to tell you, Jessica and I are taking Bella out for her birthday tonight, and because I'm such a great guy, I'm letting you come too."

"Her birthday was yesterday, smart ass."

"Hey, language!" Quil snickered. Crap, I was bad at remembering too. "Anyhow, Jess wanted to do something nice for Bella. She said she needed a 'break' and Leah offered to babysit. And we all know you celebrated today because everyone was busy with work yesterday, so it still counts as her birthday."

"I don't know, Quil; Bella's already started dinner."

"Don't worry; Jess is in the house right now. I just came from there. She said everything will keep until tomorrow. Bella said you guys could feed the kids and leave at seven."

It _would _be nice to get out. It had been a long time since we had done anything without the children.

"Well, if it's all right with Bella, I'm in!" I wasn't going to give up an opportunity to give Bella a night out.

Even the drive over to the restaurant was exciting. Quil and Jess came to pick us up, so we didn't have to drive. Bella was comfortable leaving the kids with Leah since Trevor had already eaten, and had even dressed up. She was happy, laughing at Quil's bad jokes, and chatting away with Jessica.

The two women had become close friends very early on. Quil had met her through work, and she was two years older than Bella. They had a lot in common, and spent a lot of time talking about books, and cooking. Just two months ago, Quil had proposed to her, and they were getting married next month. We were happy for both of them.

Quil had stopped phasing over a year ago. He wanted to age as naturally as possible with Jessica, who didn't know about him being a wolf. It took some effort, but he surprised us all. No one was sure if the legends about needing a lot of control to stop phasing was an exaggeration, or if Quil was just better at it than any of us had given him credit for, but after a couple of months, he didn't have the urge to phase at all.

He still had a lot of the extra strength and bulk, not as much has as before. We were pretty sure he'd still be able to phase again, in a pinch, but his body temperature had dropped some as well. It still wasn't normal, but not alarmingly hot either.

They took us out to a new restaurant in the outskirts of town. It was the perfect place. The restaurant was different enough, both in decor and menu, to feel special, but still casual enough not to cause Bella discomfort, especially since I knew Quil was going to insist on picking up the bill as a "birthday gift" to her.

We were seated with drinks, waiting for our food, laughing and talking, when I noticed Sam and Emily at a large table on the other side of the room. I hadn't seen him in over two years, but he hadn't changed at all, just as I hadn't, physically. They were with two other couples and some children. I realized I had no idea if any of them were theirs. That's how distant we had become.

Sam and Emily were living up near the Makah reservation now, close to Emily's family. Paul was there too, in an apartment close by. Officially, we had divided up because the territory had grown to include the entire Peninsula. Sam's pack was north and west, from the coastline to La Push. We patrolled from La Push and out beyond Forks to the west and south. Unofficially, Sam and I just had to get some distance between us.

It hadn't taken long after the Volturi confrontation. My mind had left the pack collective as I took on the Alpha role I was born into. Embry and Quil followed me almost at the same time. Leah was the next one to go, looking for any escape from Sam's thoughts, forcing Seth to come with her. Actually, she didn't exactly have to "force" him. He was happy to be with us, even if his sister _was_ part of my pack. We still saw Jared, Collin, and Brady around the reservation from time to time, but things weren't the same. Embry, Quil, and I all lived in Forks now. Leah was in Port Angeles, but she came home every weekend, and Seth was in college in Seattle, also coming home almost every weekend.

Quil saw me look over at Sam's table and turned around to look as well. We knew it would be a matter of time before Sam noticed us. I nodded at Quil, and we both excused ourselves, making our way over to the large party.

Once there, we said, "hello" and Emily began introducing everyone to us. It turned out the others were her family — her siblings, their spouses, and children. The people sitting closest had their backs to us, but they twisted around to nod, and returned our greetings, a few reaching their hands out to shake. After exchanging a few words with Sam, I turned to make my way back, but noticed Quil wasn't moving with me.

I put my arm on his, giving it a light tug. "Hey, Quil, the girls are waiting for us."

Why wasn't he moving? I twisted myself around, so I was looking directly at Quil. That's when I noticed he was staring at one of Emily's nieces. She looked a few years older than Trevor. Why was he doing this? It was like he was in a trance.

"Quil? Did you hear me? The girls are waiting." That's when I noticed Sam and Emily. Sam had his eyes fixed on Quil, as he got up, walking around the table, making his way to us. Emily looked pale, like she'd seen a ghost. Her gaze passed from Quil to her niece. She looked absolutely terrified.

Sam put himself between Quil and the table, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Let me come with you. It's been too long since I've seen Bella." Sam began pushing Quil, forcing him to walk backwards. After a few steps, he physically forced him to turn around, still pushing him forward.

"Sam, what's going on?" I asked in a hushed whisper.

"He imprinted," Sam replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"He imprinted on Claire."

"The little girl? That's… that's not possible! She's just a kid!"

I was still stunned by the time we reached our table. Sam made some idle conversation with Bella and Jess, giving me a chance to seat Quil, and give him a firm nudge. He looked around at his surroundings, finally cluing in to where he was, before turning to look back at Sam's table.

To say dinner was tense was like calling Warren Buffet "well-to-do." It was the understatement of the century.

I couldn't tell Bella what was happening, because Jess was there. Jessica couldn't understand what was going on, making her nervous and concerned. I could see Quil trying to act normal, but he couldn't follow the conversation. He missed every question directed at him, and had no idea what anyone else had said. He didn't even eat, and I caught him looking over at the little girl several times. I kicked him under the table each time his eyes went to her, trying to divert his attention away. I hated thinking it, but the whole thing made me sick to my stomach. The legends just had _not _given us _all _the details we needed. Why would Quil imprint on a kid? And exactly what was going on in his head right now? Was I supposed to get him locked up, so he didn't end up committing some heinous crime? How could this be right? This wasn't Quil. The Quil I knew, the real Quil, would never look at a kid like that.

I ended up having to drive because Quil was in no shape to. I let Jessica out when we got to her place, (thank goodness for small miracles; her and Quil didn't live together because she wanted to wait until they were married first) and told her Quil was coming home with us because I had some "problems" I really needed to talk to him about. I was pretty sure she didn't believe me, but she let it go. She was probably planning to wait until later to bring it up with Quil. I just hoped he'd be able to snap out of it, or something, by then.

The minute I got back in the car, Bella was on me in an instant, barraging me with questions.

"Jake, what's wrong with Quil? I tried to talk to him, but he won't answer my questions. He just keeps shaking his head, and mumbling, 'this can't be.' What's going on? Was it Sam? Did he say something?"

"Look, Bells, I don't really know myself." I wasn't ready to tell her the truth right then. I knew I'd have to sooner or later, but later sounded better. It had been years since the topic of imprinting had come up, and her birthday (well, the day after her birthday) didn't seem like the best time to rehash _that_ conversation. "Look, we need to go for a run and figure this out."

"A run? Are you kidding? It's been over a year since Quil last phased! He stopped for Jessica, and you're going to mess it all up? Why? What's going on, Jake?"

"Can we please talk about this later?" I asked, trying to pretend I was intently focused on driving. Quil, in the back seat, just sat, his head in his hands, not responding to our conversation.

I saw Bella look back at him again, through the rear-view mirror, before she conceded. "Fine, but I want to know everything the minute you come back, do you understand?"

"Sure, sure."

"Don't give me that 'sure, sure' shit. You answer me properly! Are you going to tell me _absolutely _everything?"

"Yes, Bella, I'll tell you everything, every single detail, no matter what."

We drove the rest of the way home in silence.

Bella left the car without a word, ignoring my attempt to hold her hand. I let her go without saying anything. What _could_ I say? Once she was in the house, I turned around, giving Quil a light nudge with my hand.

"Hey, Quil, come on, we're going for a run."

"Jake, I can't. You know I stopped, and I… I don't know if I want you in my head. I don't know how to explain this."

"That's _exactly _why I need to be in your head. It's the only way we can work this out. Look, I've known you all my life. I know you're a good person. I promise; we're going to figure this out."

"I just want to let you know first, Jake. It… it's not like that. That little girl, Claire, I don't see her like that, romantically, I mean."

"Look, man, you don't need to explain this. Let's just go for a run, okay?"

"What if I can't? It's been over a year."

"Doesn't mean it's not worth a try. Look, Taha Aki phased as an old man after years of staying human, when his people needed him. If he can do it after that amount of time, you can do it after a year." I wasn't exactly all that confident in the legends right at the moment, but I had to come up with something. Fucking Taha Aki… it made me wonder if _he _had ever imprinted on a kid. Maybe it hadn't mattered back then. Just the _thought _of it made me cringe.

Quil phased, as he always had before. It was as if no time had passed. And his thoughts were exactly as he had described, yet still different. There was just no way to explain it in words so someone else could understand, which of course wasn't going to be too helpful once I got back home.

The good news ways, Quil didn't have one single sexual thought or desire where this child was concerned. He loved her, like his daughter, or sister, but not like a wife. He wanted to protect and care for her, giving her everything she needed. The part that scared me, and him, was that his mind was so focused on her. Everything else took a back seat — his friends, his family, work. Everything else was muted and fuzzy; the only clear thought was her.

Quil was torn. He still understood the promise he had made to Jessica, and cared for her as a person, but the romantic love wasn't the same. His feelings for her hadn't vanished, in the same way that Sam's feelings for Leah had never vanished, but he didn't _want _this love as much. Quil wanted to break up with Jess, engagement be damned. He wanted to spend all his efforts caring for Claire, waiting until she got older, in the hopes that she would want him one day. He had even (during the short time we were phased) decided he was going to begin phasing regularly, to prevent himself from aging, so that he and Claire would be the same physical age one day.

I tried to talk him out of it, to find a way for him to talk _himself_ out of it, but it was clearly an impossible task. Eventually, Quil left, heading for his grandfather's place, instead of his own, with a myriad of questions swimming in his mind. I lingered a while, trying to formulate a way to explain this to Bella.

There would be absolutely no way to find the silver lining in this damn cloud. It was bad enough, that after more than seven years, one of us had imprinted. To make things worse, he had to be the one guy who had given up phasing, something I had counted on to stop the imprinting impulse. To top it off, life just had to kick me while I was down, making him imprint on a child. What the fuck was happening?

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><p><em>The next update will be on Tuesday February 14th! Sorry, it will not be Valentine's themed, but I hope you're here to read it just the same! Thanks, and please, feel free to leave a review!<em>


	3. Chapter 2: Harsh Realities

_**A/N** - A short note before we start. After I posted chapter 1, I noticed the name I had chosen for Quil's fiance was the name of an existing character in the Twilight Saga of books. That was unintentional, and this Jessica is NOT Jessica Stanley who went to high school in Forks with Bella. I just wanted to be clear on that and sorry for any confusion it may have caused._

_I would like to thank my pre-reader from Sparkly Red Pen, **Iamtwilightobsessed (MP)** who asks all the right questions to get me to change what really needs to be changed._

_Thank also goes out to my Sparkly Red Pen beta, __**cullenlvr83**__ how has been a great help in keeping my work clean and readable!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Harsh Realities<strong>

"Jake, is Quil all right? You were out a long time," Bella asked, concerned. "Did phasing after all this time do anything to him, and why did he have to be phased?"

"He'll be fine, and no, phasing didn't do anything bad to him. It was like no time had passed." I paused, not answering the last part of her question. Instead, I fiddled with my shoes, taking much longer than necessary to take them off.

"Well? Why did you two need to be phased?" Why I thought she'd forget what she had asked was beyond me. Bella didn't miss things like that.

"There were some things we had to… discuss that just couldn't be explained with words," I replied, doubtfully hopeful it would appease her.

"What _things_, Jake?" Bella was getting suspicious now. I never kept things from her, even to protect her. She hated that.

"It's… it's kind of personal, and it's just about Quil, okay?" I answered irritably. I didn't want to tell Bella, but I knew I'd have to. And telling her it was "personal" felt like a lie. It affected _us_ too. It wasn't just about Quil.

"Jake, are you purposely keeping something from me? What happened at the restaurant? This can't be something Sam said. What made Quil like this without it getting you upset?" Bella's voice was slowly becoming agitated, as I heard the suspicion growing with every word she uttered.

"Can we talk about this in the morning?" I asked, hopeful but unconvinced she'd bite.

"No, I don't think it can wait until morning. Did you get back late on purpose? Were you hoping I'd forget about it if I didn't see you tonight?" She was beyond growing suspicious. She was there.

"I didn't stay out late on purpose, honey," I replied, defeated. "Things are just screwed up, that's all."

I made my way into the den, sitting on the couch. I patted the seat next to me, but Bella ignored it, standing in front of me with her arms crossed.

"Okay, so things are confused. Now, are you going to tell me what's going on?" she demanded, her voice getting louder.

She was getting angry, knowing I was avoiding her inquiries.

"Shhh… you don't want to wake the kids," I answered. I was actually more concerned about keeping her calm than the volume of her voice.

"I'm not being loud enough to wake them, and stop trying to stall. What's going _on_?" Bella hissed.

I knew there would be no way out of this. Talking about it was the last thing I wanted to do, ever, but it wasn't something I could ignore. Keeping it from her seemed to be causing just as much distress anyway.

"Quil imprinted," I stated flatly.

"At the restaurant?" she questioned, attempting to maintain a cold, emotionless expression, but the disappointment still seeped through.

"Yup."

There was a momentary silence, during which I saw every emotion she was feeling through the subtle changes in her face. It started with defeat, moving onto anxiety, and transforming to resentment. All the old misgivings, once long buried, had now resurfaced.

"On whom?" she asked in a cold, perfunctory tone. "Not Emily… I mean, two wolves can't imprint on the same girl, _can_ they?"

"I would think not, but at this point I guess anything's possible," I mumbled in reply.

"Was it one of the other women at their table?"

If only it were true. Imprinting on Emily's married sister would have been better than this. _That_ I could have explained. _That_ would have been seemingly normal in comparison.

"Well, sort of…"

"Sort of? What does _that_ mean? It was her sister, wasn't it, the one who's married and has children? This is worse than it was with Leah and Sam."

I sighed loudly. Why hadn't I ordered _Quil_ to explain it to her? This was about _him_ after all, not me.

"It wasn't her married sister, or her sister-in-law," I answered.

"I don't get. If it wasn't Emily, her sister, or sister-in-law, then who, a waitress?"

"It was one of… er… um… her nieces," I managed to stutter out, dropping my head in my hands, grabbing my hair, and preparing myself for the inevitable horror yet to come.

"I didn't think she had any grown nieces. I mean, years ago, when we were friendly, I remember her mentioning one. She was a baby at the time."

That was my cue. It was time for me to shatter any delusions we had been living with these past seven years. All the weird, mystical shit was going to come back into our lives, with a vengeance.

I lifted my head out of my hands and blurted out, "It was probably her."

"What was probably her?"

Yup, so weird that Bella ― who _actually understood _what Finnegan's Wake was about ― couldn't follow _this_ conversation.

"The girl Quil imprinted on was probably the same one you were talking about just now."

"That's impossible. She'd only be a little older than Trevor."

"Yup."

"Yup, what?"

"Yup, that's how old she looked to me."

"Who?"

It was sheer torture having to answer "who" so many times, but I knew it wasn't nearly as bad as the torture yet to come.

"The girl Quil imprinted on."

She stared, wide-eyed and silent, as comprehension finally set in.

"Are you telling me Quil imprinted on a _child_?" she questioned, incredulous.

"It's not like that," I began, trying to defend my friend and, indirectly, myself. "I mean, he doesn't feel any romantic attraction towards her, not like Sam did with Emily. He feels mostly like he needs to protect her."

"_What_?" Her eyes bugged out. The initial shock, though still there, was covered in a veil of horror, just as I had predicted it would.

"He feels mostly like he needs‒"

"No!" she interjected, shouting. "I mean, what the _fuck_, Jacob! Quil imprinted on a _child_? How is that possible?"

"Bells, I have no idea. It's not like this wolf thing came with a manual." Not that a manual would have helped here. How do you prepare yourself for something like _this_?

"So, what's going to happen? He's going to 'mostly' feel like this _child's_ protector, until she gets boobs, and then he'll jump down her pants?" It was crude. Even after years of friendship between her and Leah, she still didn't speak this way on a regular basis. It was generally reserved for only the very worst situations.

"Bella…" I reached out to take her arm, to draw her into my embrace.

"No!" she cried. It cut into my soul, ripping me apart. She stepped back, away from me. "I thought this was over. It's been seven years, and now… now it happens with a child? A… _child_?"

"Bella, this didn't happen to me; it happened to Quil." I knew it was weak, but it was all I had.

"That's right, Quil, the one who hadn't phased in a year!"

"Maybe a year isn't long enough…" I offered.

"Maybe no amount of time is long enough!" she yelled back.

"Bella, if it were going to happen to me, I'm sure it would have already happened. I mean, I'm Alpha, it might work differently for me."

"That's right, with you, it might happen three times! Was that why Taha Aki had three wives?"

"He wasn't married to them all at once! They died… and he…" I let the sentence trail off, unfinished. What was the point? There was nothing good about the situation, not one damn thing.

"Jake, you kept telling me this wouldn't happen to you, that you'd already met every Quileute girl‒"

"And I have!" I butt in.

"Not the ones that haven't been _born_ yet!"

"Bella, nothing is ever going to change. I am _not_ going anywhere."

"Is that right?" she spat. I nodded, weakly. I knew what the next question would be. "And what about Jessica? What's Quil going to do about _her_?"

My head hung in shame. "He… he's not completely sure yet."

"He's sure he's _not_ going to marry her though, isn't he?"

"Bells," I reached out again, stepping towards her, but I knew changing our physical proximity wouldn't bridge our growing emotional gap.

"No, no, I'm not… I can't…" Her face was bright red, and her eyes were flowing with tears. "It's bad enough I had to give up my dreams, bad enough I can't get out of this damn, gloomy town, bad enough we have no money, that the only reason we have a roof over our heads is because my father _gave_ us this house, and that you refuse to work pretty much anywhere close to home, anywhere that offers a decent salary, but now, you're telling me this was all so I could end up alone one day, penniless, destitute and with three children? What am I supposed to do? Just wait around and twiddle my thumbs until your _soul mate_ decides to show up? Or maybe you're expecting me to _raise_ her until she old enough to‒"

"Don't!" I hissed, cutting her off. I took a deep breath. I knew she was hurt, that her anger was a manifestation of anxiety and sadness, but it was still difficult to hear those accusations without fuming inside. It was even more difficult to convince myself none of it could ever happen to us. "Bella, I would _never_ leave you, or the children, never. No matter what happened, imprint or not, I would _never_ forget my love for you. I would _never_ turn my back on my obligations!"

"Is that what I'll be, an obligation? Is that what Jess is to Quil now?"

"I'm not Quil!"

"Yes you are! You know as well as I do, that what can happen to one can happen to all. You _know_ that!"

"No one knows that, or anything else! That's why this surprised us, because no one knows!"

"You're right, no one knows, including you and me, so I'm going to do everything I can to protect my family."

What was she talking about? What did anyone need protecting from? As bad as it was, no one was being endangered. Exactly what did Bella think I was going to do?

"What the fuck does that mean?" I demanded a little too loudly.

"Daddy?" I heard a voice ask from upstairs.

"Go back to sleep, honey," I called up, not moving my eyes away from Bella.

"What that _means_ is you're going to swallow your pride and get a decent, higher paying job, with better benefits, at one of the industries the Volturi have set up around here, so we'll have a damn nest egg when you abandon us!"

"Mommy?" the voice called again, getting closer.

"I told you already; I'm not abandoning anyone!"

"Yet."

"Ever!" I burst out, springing to my feet.

"Daddy, please don't be angry with mommy." Lola was standing next to me now, her little fingers wrapped around one of my hands. I took a deep breath and knelt down to meet her eyes.

"Lola, honey, it's okay. Mommy and daddy are just having a grown-up discussion. I'll take you back to bed."

Bella grabbed my arm the moment I stood up. She spoke quietly, but her voice was filled with venom. "You can say what you want, but you're still going to get that job, first thing Monday."

"Let me put the kid to bed, okay?" I barked.

"You know they'll hire you on the spot!" she shouted, poking my chest with her finger as she spoke. She blocked the staircase. "You _know_ the Volturi want the pack working for them more than anything!"

"Mommy?" Lola's lip was quivering as she pulled on Bella's sleeve.

I picked her up in my arms, wanting to shield her, but lost control of my own sanity listening to the hostility my wife directed at me. I knew with every word that passed my lips, it would only cause more harm, but I couldn't stop myself.

"That is _exactly_ why I'm _not_ going to take their fucking money!"

"Mommy? Daddy? Stop!" Trevor was coming down the stairs, his eyes filled with tears.

"I don't give a shit if you end up taking Mother Theresa's money!" Bella continued, ignoring our son's presence. "I am _not_ going to sit around, waiting for the day when you abandon me with no means of taking care of my family!"

"I already told you! **I am **_**not**_** abandoning anyone**!"

"Daddy, no. Daddy, don't be angry with mommy," Trevor begged.

Little hands pulled at my sleeve. I tried to put my arm around Trevor, but I wasn't paying attention, and Lola slipped from my arms. I reached down to help her up, but Bella reached down for her first, pushing me aside.

"Don't you touch my child!" she screamed out.

"What the fuck, Bella? _Your_ child? You haven't paid attention to her in over a year!" I accused.

"How dare you! I do more for these children in one day than you do in a week! Maybe I'm not sitting around making crafts all day, but I don't have that luxury!"

"I'm so fucking sorry that you're without _luxuries_! That's all this is about, isn't it? Fucking money! Is that what we've been reduced to?"

"This is _not_ about money, and you know it! It can't be, because we don't _have_ any!"

The children's sobs were audible, but I was taken over by anger, hurt and defeat. My brain pushed their crying to the background, making it impossible for me to stop what I knew would destroy us all.

"I don't see anyone going hungry. We all have clothes, and you get to stay home with the kids. There are plenty of people with less. I have _always_ done the best I could, Bells. The _best_ I could, since I was fucking seventeen years old!" My voice spoke out in rage, but my heart was broken, and my ego withered. I felt less of man. "You think you're the only one that's made sacrifices?"

"The _best_ would have included swallowing your damn pride!" she spat back, acrimony covering any trace of empathy.

"You don't think I work hard enough? I pick up every damn overtime shift I can! I hardly get to see the kids. I do all this for you, to keep you happy!"

"Don't you put this on me! You know I'd be out there working if we could afford daycare!"

"Right, who are you kidding? You and your damn paranoia would never let anyone else feed Trevor."

"Well _excuse_ me for wanting him to stay alive! Who are _you_ to judge me? You have no idea the effort I go to! I don't see _you_ making dairy-free, egg-free, fucking everything free, cupcakes so your damn kid can eat cake at his own party!"

"Mommy? Please don't be angry. I'm sorry. I don't need cake, mommy. I promise I won't be upset if there's no cake for me."

"No, Trevor, no, none of this is your fault," she said to our son, taking hold of his face in her hands. It was the first time tonight that her expression had turned soft and regretful. "This has nothing to do with you, sweetie."

Bella picked him up, holding him in her arms, as Lola clung to her legs. In the background, I heard the baby crying. I turned to walk up and get her, but Bella grabbed my arm, stopping me. "Don't you _dare_ touch my baby! _I'm_ getting her!"

"She's _my_ child too! You have no right! I haven't fucking imprinted yet!" My hand darted over my mouth, desperate to take back the words. I saw the wide-eyed shock on her face, as she slowly set Trevor down.

Bella turned so she could pass between my immobile body and the wall. I watched her retreat up the stairs, stop, and turn to look at me as she hissed, "That's right, Jacob, not _yet."_

As she passed, I saw the tears slide down her face. They were not tears from rage, just as those that escaped my eyes were not. It wasn't about the kids, or money. I had known it all along, but I had lost control, just as she had. She feared the end of our great love. Bella couldn't lose me, just as I couldn't to lose her.

I fell to the floor, my face in my hands. I felt Trevor and Lola at my sides, both draped over me, holding me. I wanted to bring them into an embrace and comfort them, but all I could do was weep. Little arms were wrapped around me as tiny voices whispered in my ear. "It's okay, Daddy. Mommy didn't mean it. She gets mad at us too when we're bad, but she still loves us. I'm sure of it."

I slept downstairs on the couch the next few nights. Bella was perfunctory and polite in front of the children, even giving me a kiss on the cheek when I got home from work, but once they were in bed, she went straight to her — what used to be our — bedroom and stayed there until morning.

I left her alone, deciding it was probably better to let her stew and think for a bit. To be honest, I really didn't know what to say to her. I was glad she was still here and hadn't asked me to leave. This was, after all, _her_ father's house. Not that Charlie would ever want me booted out, but I never forgot it was his, and not mine.

On Tuesday I left for work early before anyone else was awake. Usually, the long drive was just a time waster for me. I always grumbled to myself about how it would be so much faster to run, but it would be difficult to explain how I had gotten there without a vehicle. Plus, I had to wear more than cut-off jean shorts at work. That morning though, it offered me some peace away from the tension at home. It was early enough that I was the only one on the road, and the cool mountain air was exhilarating. I wish I hadn't taken an early shift. I wish I had slept in that day.

It wasn't until after ten that morning that someone contacted me.

"Jake, you have a phone call in the office. They said it's an emergency."

No one ever called me at work. I didn't exactly have a desk job, so it was pretty difficult for anyone to get a hold of me. Plus, after everything we'd been through, not much would be considered an "emergency" to Bella. I pulled off my gloves and threw them on the first surface I could find, running out of the loading bay as I did so. Again, I grumbled internally about how this would be so much faster if no one was around. Thinking about what a "normal" running speed would be was downright irritating.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone, anxious.

"Jake, it's Charlie. You have to come over to Forks hospital, now. It's Bella."

I didn't need to hear anything else. There was no point in asking what had happened, or who was watching the kids. Questions would only delay the amount of time it would take to get to Bella.

"Carol, tell Jim I had to leave; my wife's in the hospital, some accident or something. I have to go, now. Can you punch me out?"

"Oh my god, Jake, sure, go! Don't worry; I'll take care of everything here."

I still heard every word she said, even though I was out the door before she had finished speaking.

Again, riding my motorcycle seemed like the slowest way to get from point A to point B, but I couldn't run. First, I didn't have the necessary cords to tie all these damn clothes, and secondly, Charlie would wonder how the hell I had gotten there so fast. The best I could do was speed like a demon and pass anyone in my way like a damn asshole. I got a lot of honks and various gestures, but I got to Forks in record time. I threw my bike down and ran in. One thing about a small town hospital, it wasn't so big. Charlie was already there, waiting for me.

"Where is she, Charlie? I need to see her."

"Jake, calm down. They just took her into recovery. Sue's got Serena with her, and she's going to pick up Lola. One of us will have to get Trevor when he's done at school." Charlie took one look at my panic stricken face and added, "Don't worry, I'll get him."

I was disoriented. I stood in the corridor, jerking my head back and forth, looking all around me, trying to figure out who to talk to and what questions I should ask. Charlie took my arm and directed me to a nurse's station.

"Francine? Can you help my son-in-law, please? This is Jake, Bella's husband. He just got here."

"Mr. Black, she's just come out of surgery and should be fine. You can probably go see her in a few minutes. I can show you the way."

"Wh… what happened?" I asked her. She paused without answering, biting her lip nervously.

"It's okay, Francine. Bella wouldn't want something like this kept from Jake. They don't keep anything from each other." The nurse still looked hesitant. Didn't doctor-patient privilege make some allowances for spouses?

"Well, if you say so, Charlie. Now, don't you go off arresting me!" she joked, before turning to me with a serious expression. "Your wife had an ectopic pregnancy. She held off a little longer than she should have before coming in, but she's fine. Now, let's go and see if we can get you two in to see her."

Bella was pale and lifeless. I could tell she was fine, physically, because the monitors were all quiet, her eyes were open, and she was sitting up. That was her _physical_ state. The rest of her was a different story. She turned to look over at us when we entered, then turned away to stare out the window without saying anything.

Charlie went and sat on the edge of her bed, taking one of her hands into his.

"Bells, how are you feeling? Can I get you anything?"

Bella shook her head.

"You had us scared, but the doctor said everything was fine now. I'm… I'm sorry about the baby. I didn't know… that you… that you and Jake were…" I decided to take Charlie out of his misery.

"It wasn't planned, Charlie. Bella had her tubes tied after Serena was born."

"Oh… okay." I guess even hearing "tubes tied" was too much for his modest sensitivity. "Well, I'll leave you kids to talk. I have to go check in with Sue anyway. She said she wanted me to drop by the store before getting home." Charlie mumbled the last part as he walked out of the room.

I took the spot on the bed vacated by Charlie, but didn't put her hand in mine. I wanted to touch her and hold her in my arms, but I didn't know what _she_ wanted. It felt foreign not knowing what Bella wanted.

"Bells, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" I asked, unable to think of anything else.

"I was still nursing. I didn't know." She wouldn't look at me. "I thought they were menstrual cramps this morning. It had been so long that I'd forgotten what they felt like. Then, they started getting worse. I… I went to drop off Trevor and Lola at school first, and then drove here to the hospital."

"Honey, you should have called. Your dad would have come to get you and the kids. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you went into surgery."

Bella shrugged, as though I were apologizing for not picking up orange juice on my way home.

"They had to take the tube out. I should have asked them to take everything out."

"Bella…" I sighed, unable to find the right words. I gently put my hand on her cheek, gingerly moving her face to look at mine. "I'm sorry." One teardrop escaped from her eyes, making a slow descent down her cheek, another followed soon after, then another.

"Jake–"

Bella never got a chance to finish her sentence.

"Jake!" Embry shouted as he barged into the room. He was disheveled, his hair had bits of leaves stuck in it, and mud was streaked on his face and arms. He wore nothing but baggy, drawstring pants, that I was pretty sure were dirty hospital greens. Everything about him screamed, "I just phased."

"What are you doing here, Embry?"

"I was looking for you, called you at work, they said you came here. I saw Charlie in the lobby, and he gave me the room number." Embry grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Bella. "Leech, there's a fucking leech in town!"

"What?" I knew what I had heard, but I still didn't believe it.

"Look, I'm going back now before the trail gets cold, but it's more than one. You have to follow me, now."

I didn't have time to think, or ask more questions. In town was too close. None of them were supposed to be anywhere close to here. It was a Volturi edict. We hadn't picked up even a faint scent of one in almost seven years, and the need for regular patrol had ended years ago.

I gave Bella a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, "Love you" as I ran out the door on Embry's heels.

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><p><em>The next update will be on Tuesday February 21st. I am working very hard to get ahead, so I can update a little more frequently. I'm aiming for once every five days, but we'll see how this week goes. <em>

_For those of you who have read my other story, Ascent From Darkness, it has been nominated for a Torch Award from Impassionate Magic in two categories: Best Completed Work and Best Jacob. While the winners are selected by judges, there is an open vote category for the awards as well. Go check it out!_

_I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. As always, I love getting reviews!_


	4. Chapter 3: The Theft

**WARNING: **_ This chapter contains sensitive subject matter of a controversial nature. It may be offensive from a political, moral and/or religious point of view. It is possible this same issue, along with other sensitive topics, may arise again in future updates. _

_I am **not** using this story to promote political, moral or religious viewpoints of my own, or anyone else's. This is a work of fiction, and the events I have chosen to include in it were selected because I felt they worked best within the framework of the storyline selected. This is intended for entertainment only._

_I apologize that this warning did not come sooner, but all the details of this story had not yet been thought up when I began posting._

_One last thing. I haven't decided for sure yet, but there is a possibility of character death(s) as some point in this story._

_Thanks go out to **Iamtwilightobsessed (MP)** who pre-read this chapter and **cullenlvr83**, my wonderful beta!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – The Theft<strong>

The trail was too close to Bella and that bothered me, a lot. The scent circled near the hospital, on the outskirts of town, and even inside the tree line of our house. I wondered if it was one of the Cullens, but I couldn't tell. After seven years without smelling a leech, there was no way I'd be able to distinguish one from another.

_Jake, we need get a hold of the others._

_We'll lose their trail if we stop to phase back._

The vamp trail was fresh, too fresh.

_What the fuck, Jake? Quil, really?_

_This is **not** the time for it, Em._

_Yeah, okay, but definitely later._

Even when chasing vampires, I couldn't get away from all the freakish imprinting shit.

_Do you think you can call Sam?_

_I tried; he's not phased. _

It wasn't a surprise. None of us were phased often.

Sam and I had discovered some years back that we could still communicate telepathically, even though we were two separate packs with separate pack minds. It was just between the Alphas, and we could control what information we wanted to share, pretty much like regular conversation without having to be in the same place.

We were coming to the border near Seattle. This was where our patrol boundary ended ― the bars of the cage the Volturi had imprisoned us in.

I ran faster, passing Embry, and edging dangerously close to the road. The scent was getting stronger, and I heard the bloodsuckers' footfalls as we raced closer to them. Embry was right, there were two of them.

I pushed harder, getting ahead of Embry and ignored his calls to me, for us to remain together. I couldn't slow down, not with them so close to us. In the distance, I saw a break in the trees where the forest ended and civilization began, but it was still a few miles ahead. I was sure I'd be able to catch them before they got there.

I got close enough to catch sight of the parasites the moment the grey, dull light peeked in from the break in the trees. They weren't the Cullens. One looked back at me, and I saw the thing's blood red eyes. It was female, but tall and lanky with long black hair that would have reached to her waist if she weren't running so fast. Her companion was also female and tall, but more muscular and athletic. She had hair cropped short, like a man. It was flame red, just like Victoria's had been. I had never seen them before.

I quickly closed the distance between us and caught the scent of something else emerging through the strong vampire stench. It only took a split second before I recognized it as human blood. It smelled eerily familiar.

I was a few yards short of sinking my teeth into one of them when they suddenly slowed down and stepped out onto the road. I skidded to a halt ― mud, leaves and moss flying around me. This was the main roadway, and it was the middle of the day. I peered out between two bushes and saw them. They were running at a quick, human pace, waving their arms to flag down a passing car. One of them was holding a package wrapped in plastic.

As soon as they started searching for a ride, a truck stopped. Of course it would stop. To human eyes, these two looked like hot women, not stinking leeches. I noticed both of them pulling sunglasses out of their pockets and putting them on. They were definitely not "vegetarians," not that any of them actually were.

Embry and I couldn't go any further. We weren't allowed to be phased beyond where we stood. I thought of breaking the treaty and chasing them anyway, but they were in a truck, likely remaining on major highways. What was I going to do as a wolf? Then I thought about the Volturi's end of the bargain, and how this violated the conditions of our treaty. But, how were we supposed to call them on it? We didn't exactly have a direct line to them. In all likelihood, those two were nomads that hadn't known the "rules".

I went back to see Bella right after. I felt bad about running out on her at the hospital and was worried about leaving her alone. She wasn't in a good place. She hadn't been in a good place for some time.

By the time I got there, she had already finished lunch and fallen asleep. I waited, napping myself, until I heard her voice call out for me.

"Jake?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Hey, honey, how are you feeling?" I asked, getting out of the chair to go to her side.

Bella shrugged. "I'm okay for the most part. What about you? What happened?"

"Nothing to worry yourself about. I think it was just a couple of drifters who weren't aware of the situation." I was trying to downplay the whole situation. She didn't need anything else to worry about.

"Where are they now?" she asked.

"They're gone. We chased them to the boundary line," I answered, unable to hide the bitterness in my tone.

"I thought that part of our lives was over forever," she mumbled, not directly at me.

"Don't worry about it, Bells. We've got the situation handled. It's nothing," I replied, again trying to shrug it off. "So, do you feel like talking about what happened?" I asked cautiously.

"What's to tell? Apparently the gods have decided I'm to be nothing but a baby making machine for the pack Alpha," she spat resentfully.

"Come on, Bells, don't be that way. Things like this happen. When the doctor explained the procedure to us months ago, he said this could be a possibility."

"He said it was an _unlikely_ possibility," she muttered under her breath.

"Sure, sure, unlikely, but it's over, and you're fine. And you know how special you are, in so many different ways. You are _not_ a 'baby-making machine'."

"You don't know the half of it," she whispered, looking away. She knew I had heard. I wasn't sure what she meant, or if I should comment on it. I waited a short while to see if she'd elaborate on her own, but she didn't.

"Okay, what is it that I don't know about?" I inquired.

Bella looked into my eyes. Her face was void of color, and her eyes filled with tears as she silently bored into me with more pain and guilt than I had seen in a long time.

"Jake, you know I love our children, right?" she asked. I nodded. "I love every single one of them, and I would never let go of a single one of them, but you know how hard it's been for me, for _us_." I nodded again, feeling the shame of inadequacy I felt so often. "We've tried so many different ways to keep our family small, so we could afford more for the children we already have, spare more time for them, and give ourselves the opportunity to pursue our own dreams one day, haven't we?"

"Of course, just because this happened, doesn't mean it's going to be like this again." What were the chances she'd get pregnant _twice_ after a tubal ligation?

"Actually, Jake, I think it will. When I said I wished they'd taken it all out, I wasn't kidding. I don't think anything but the most extreme measure is going to stop us from having more children."

"Don't be silly, Bells. This is ridiculous. Things like this happen to lots of couples."

"This isn't the only 'thing' that's happened to us, Jake. _None_ of our children were planned."

"Oh come on, are we going to go back to that? Look, we were completely careless with Trevor, not careful enough when Lola was conceived, and Serena was just a combination of bad circumstances."

"No, Jake, it wasn't," she said flatly.

"What wasn't?"

"Serena's 'circumstances'."

"What about them?" I raised an eyebrow, not sure where the conversation was going.

Bella bit her bottom lip and turned her head away from me, as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't physically hold back the pain and tension. Her body caved in, as her hands reached up to muffle her sobs. I put my arms around her, trying to comfort her.

"Honey, it's okay. What's wrong? Tell me what I can do for you," I said, feeling helpless as always.

"I didn't want her, Jake. I love her so much now, but I didn't want her then, and now, it's just so hard all the time…" She paused, looking intently into my eyes. "Everything we went through, my reason for choosing a life with _you_, for being part of the Volturi battle, Jake, a lot of that was to take control of my own life, of my destiny."

"That hasn't changed, honey," I answered softly. I thought I knew what she was talking about, but I was wrong. I thought the only thing left that we had no control over was the risk of me imprinting, but for once, that wasn't what bothered her.

"You don't understand, Jake! This..." she shouted, indicating her torso. "Getting pregnant after having my tubes tied wasn't the first time I beat the 'odds'. All the mystical stuff in our lives has taken control of us! No matter what we do, we're going to keep having baby after baby because it's something we'll never be able to control!"

"That's ridiculous. Even if you got pregnant again — and the odds of that happening is like winning the lottery at this point — the embryo has no way of reaching the uterus," I offered, in an attempt to quell her worries.

"There are instances where babies have developed outside the uterus," she stated matter-of-factly. "If there's even the slightest possibility, it's going to happen to me."

"I don't understand why you're thinking this way. Just because this happened doesn't mean–"

"I had an abortion, Jake!" she shouted in frustration.

There was a short moment of silence before I hesitantly asked, "Wh… when?"

"I had a D and C early on, before I told you I was pregnant with Serena, but it didn't work. It was one of those things that are possible but almost never happens, except it happened to _me_!"

"What are you talking about? Why didn't you tell me about this? I would _never_ have stopped you from doing anything if it was what you wanted." I saddened me that she hadn't come to me about something this important.

"Jake, don't you remember last year?" I wasn't sure what she was talking about specifically until she reminded me. "We had paid off the medical expenses the insurance hadn't covered, and we were paying Charlie a little every month. I felt like I had a handle on getting Trevor's food in order, and he was in kindergarten half days. We were beginning to get some breathing space. I didn't have the heart to tell you. It would have broken your heart. I knew it would, because it broke mine just thinking about it. I wanted to spare you the anguish."

"Bells, I don't _ever_ want you to take on my burden," I said. I wished I could shoulder the responsibility for both of us, but I knew I was barely able to hold up my half of it.

"It doesn't matter because it didn't work!" she shouted.

"What do you mean?" I asked, having lost track of the conversation.

"I got an abortion as soon as I found out I was pregnant the third time, and because of some weird fluke the D and C didn't work! I only found out when I started getting morning sickness the next month and went to the doctor. I was twelve weeks pregnant by then."

"How… how does that _happen_?" I questioned, shocked. I was playing back the words. She had gotten an abortion, but it hadn't worked? Was that even possible?

She shrugged and replied, "Apparently it's extremely unlikely but not outside the realm of possibility." I guess that answered my question, but it definitely sounded odd. I had never heard of _this_ happening to anyone.

My mind was a whirlwind filled with information and mixed emotions. I was angry for the secrets she had kept, sad about her hopelessness, surprised at the odds of these medical anomalies that kept happening to Bella, and helpless to make anything better. Deep down inside, there was relief, finally knowing the reason for her distance over the past year.

"Is that what's been bothering you all this time? Regretting what you did and believing some supernatural power was out to get you?"

"You can _not_ stand there and tell me there's no such thing as magic," she shot back at me.

"Okay, you're right, but this isn't… that. It's just a coincidence. I don't see Sam and Emily with a bunch of kids. In fact, back at the restaurant, not a single one of those children were their's," I stated, remembering the introductions from that night.

"Maybe if a wolf is with his imprint, he only has babies when he's ready, or the timing is perfect. Who knows?" she replied with a shrug.

"_Maybe_ you're better than any idiotic _imprint_ and that's why every time we touch each other it results in perfect children." I had finally made her smile. "Don't worry, Bells, we'll find a way to make it work," I said, as optimism stamped out some of the defeated shame I so often felt.

"Jake, I was being serious. I truly believe there _is_ something making it impossible for us to control our own destiny. You, of all people understand what it's like to have no control over your own life. I meant it; I want it _all_ out!"

"Bella, don't you think that's a little drastic?"

"No, I don't. I live in a world with vampires and werewolves; a hysterectomy is hardly out of the ordinary in comparison."

"Look, can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Sure, but we _are_ going to talk about it, okay?"

"Okay, and I would _never_ stop you from doing anything that you truly wanted to do, Bells. I only want to be sure you're not making any rash decisions, that you don't have any regrets afterward," I said to her, holding her hands tightly in mine. "To be honest, considering everything, I'm glad this was what the past year was about," I added as an afterthought.

"What do you mean?" I heard growing suspicion in her voice.

"I thought… it doesn't matter," I muttered, regretful for having brought it up in the first place.

"What did you think?" she asked, persistent.

"It's nothing, really."

"Tell me that's _not_ what you thought!" she exclaimed, having guessed my reasons.

"I told you, Bells, it's nothing. I wasn't thinking straight."

"How could you think I'd go back to Edward? Did you _really_ believe I'd abandon you and the children because I didn't go to college, or didn't have a big house? Is that what you think of me, Jake?" she questioned, horrified.

"No, it's not, not at all, which is why I told you it was a stupid thought!" I shouted, defensive.

"If that's what you were worried about, you should have saved your suspicions for _after_ Quil imprinted!" she blurted out. Her hand shot up to her mouth, covering it, and I saw regret on her face, but it didn't take away my hurt.

"What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?" I hissed. My sorrow became masked in anger, as it so often did.

"I didn't mean it, Jake; I'm sorry. It's just been a lot for me the last little while," she answered softly, as the palm of her hand rested on my cheek. I took a deep breath, feeling myself calm down at her touch.

"It's been a lot for all of us. And I'm sorry too, Bells," I said. "You know that came from a bruised ego, not because I don't trust you."

"I know," she whispered. "Why did Quil have to imprint?"

"It's not like he did it on purpose."

"You know what I meant." She let out a defeated sigh. "We never had to say it out loud to know what we both hoped. We were so sure if you stopped phasing all of it would go away, the imprinting, the inability to go to a doctor, the freakish strength, and senses, all of it. But the reality is, none of it went away! I was sure, if you stopped phasing, I'd stop getting pregnant every time you touched me! But look at Quil? You were right all those years ago. You _are_ in this for life, and now so am I! I'm going to be an incubator until I reach menopause!"

"Bells, we only have three kids. I mean, come on. _I_ came from a family with three kids. We'll manage; I promise. I'll get a day off next week, go down to that plant outside La Push, and get a job. You're right. Being stubborn about not working in the new industries isn't harming the Volturi. It's only making things harder for us. They've got great insurance I hear."

It nearly killed me to cave on this one, but I really didn't have an intellectually logical reason for it. All my arguments were based on pride and bias, and Bella knew it.

We sat together, sharing a long overdue moment of closeness without exchanging words. In the stillness, free from distractions, I was able to overhear and take note of the conversation outside.

"_Francine, pathology called. Can you call the O.R. desk and find out what happened to Mrs. Black's specimen?"_

"_Sure, but didn't they send it down hours ago?"_

"_Well, that's what I thought because it's written in her file, but pathology never received it."_

Hmmm, they were talking about Bella. It didn't sound like a big deal. It's not like we really needed anything scrutinized. Everyone knew what the "specimen" was. No mystery there.

"_Oh, hi Suzanne, it's Francine on the floor. Pathology called and thought we made a mistake in Mrs. Black's records. Didn't you send down the specimen after surgery?" _

"_Of course we did. We do that with all of them. It's routine."_

"_Yeah, that's what I thought. Is there a chance it was mislabeled?" _

"_I doubt it. Besides, if it were mislabeled they'd have an extra one, and they don't have that, do they?"_

"_No, they didn't mention anything like that. Maybe they misplaced it. I'll give them a call and let them know, thanks."_

"_Sure, let me know how it works out, Francine."_

"_Of course."_

"_Helen? It's Francine up on the floor. I talked to Suzanne, and she said everything was sent down like usual. Do you perhaps have an extra one that isn't labeled?"_

"_No."_

"_Well, this is strange. I guess we're lucky it wasn't something that needed to be examined for malignancy or anything, but it really should be disposed of properly. I mean it's…"_

"_I know. We can't have things like this go missing. This isn't just **any** tissue sample."_

"_Of course. Did you let the doctor know?"_

"_He was the first one I called, but he had no idea what happened either. He wasn't involved in the transfer."_

"_Did the doctor say what he was going to do if we didn't find it? I mean, we have to tell the patient, right?"_

"_Yeah, we do, especially considering what it was. What are they like? Do they seem very… religious?"_

"_They seem like a nice couple. You can't tell how a person feels about things like this just by meeting them casually, but the woman didn't want this baby." _Then the nurse lowered her voice and said in a hushed tone,_ "She's had a therapeutic D and C a year ago, so I don't think they're going to ask for… remains or anything. I mean, it was still technically the first trimester. There wasn't much of anything to ask for."_

"_Well let me know if anything else comes up, Francine, and thanks for checking._

"_No problem. You keep me posted if anything happens down there."_

"_Sure, bye."_

"_Bye."_

I guess things like this happened. Everyone made mistakes, but it seemed strange. I kept going back to Bella's tirade about how the most unlikely things happened to us, seemingly to thwart our efforts to control our lives. Of course, this incident really didn't impact much on us.

"Jake? What happened when you left with Embry? I know you said they were just drifters, but I thought the Volturi had patrols outside the borders too?"

"I don't know, Bells. All I know is they're gone now."

"Do you think anyone was… hurt by them?" she asked with genuine concern.

"I hope not, but I did smell blood when I was chasing them. It was weird, actually."

"Weird how?"

"I don't know. It seemed… familiar somehow, like…" The thought trailed off as it finally hit me, hard. I knew what had made that scent familiar to me. I had smelled it before. Well, at least something similar to it. It was Bella. Not _just_ her because it was _our_ fetus. Why did those vampires steal our dead child?


	5. Chapter 4:Gathering Players for the Game

_Thanks to my pre-reader, **iamtwilightobsessed (MP)** from SRP, who is so quick getting my chapters back and offers great suggestions!_

_Last we left off, Jacob had just realized their unwelcomed visitor had stolen his, and Bella's, fetus – the result of an ectopic pregnancy. Who were they, and what did they want with it? What will Jacob do with this information?_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Gathering Players for the Game<strong>

It pissed me off. What did those damn bloodsuckers want with our… fetus? To make things worse, there was nothing I could do about it. How was I supposed to find them again? Even if I _could_ call the Volturi to complain about the treaty violation, they wouldn't help us. We had always known it was an edict, not a "treaty."

I hated keeping it from Bella, but I had no idea how to tell her. I told myself I couldn't say anything since I wasn't _sure_ anything was taken, but there was no use kidding myself. Trying to fool oneself was for… fools.

When the doctor came to tell us the specimen, set for disposal, had been _misplaced_, I brushed it off and told him not to worry about it. Bella didn't say anything.

Bella stayed overnight at the hospital, so I used that time to have an emergency pack meeting. I dropped off the kids for a sleepover with Sue and Charlie and made my way to Leah's in Port Angeles. It was a little closer to Seth but not too far for us.

"Okay, so you're sure you've never seen them before?" Leah asked, yet again.

"Trust me, they're strangers. We haven't had contact with enough vampires to lose track of who's who," I answered, for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Leah, forget about _who_ they are. We need to focus on what they _wanted_ with Bella's… specimen," Seth stated.

"Well, maybe they just wanted any… specimen and not necessarily Bella's?" Quil offered. Leah gave him a look that made him shrink. "Or maybe not," he muttered under his breath.

"If we want to figure this out, we have to think about what makes that _particular_ specimen different from any other," Embry offered.

"Can we find some other word besides 'specimen'?" I requested.

"Sure, chief," Leah sneered. "You give us a word, and we'll use it." There was nothing but silence. "Okay," Leah continued. "Just as I thought. So, Embry, you were saying, about the _specimen_?"

"What makes it special, or different?" Embry resumed.

"It's a fetus, so that means it's got stem cells, right?" Seth supplied.

"Okay, that's good, Seth. This is what I'm talking about. Leah, you got a notepad? We should take notes." Leah threw a notepad to Embry, along with a pen. "Anyone else?"

"It's half Jake's, so it carries the gene," Quil added.

"It's human, so it probably tastes yummy," We all glared at Leah. "Fine, fine, sorry if I offended you," she said, rolling her eyes. "Okay, they didn't hurt anyone to get it, and if it weren't for Embry picking up their trail early on, no one would have known it was stolen. It's probably the easiest way to get a good sample of cells, or whatever, with Jake's genes, without getting caught."

"But why Jake?" Seth asked, "I mean, they could have gotten something from any one of us. In fact, if it was the gene they were after, wouldn't it make more sense to get something from one of us, who already transformed?"

"Maybe, but getting something from the pack is more difficult," Leah replied. "Jake, didn't you say the trail went all over town?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked in return.

"Maybe they were looking for other opportunities, and this one fell in their laps. Where else did those leeches go?"

"Shit, Leah," Embry began. "They were everywhere. I picked up their scent in La Push while visiting my mom. It went along the perimeter of the village before heading to Forks."

"_Where_ in La Push?" Leah questioned. "Near people's houses?" Embry nodded. "Think hard, Embry, _which_ houses?"

Embry was quiet, deep in thought, then answered, "Out by Billy's, your mom and Charlie's, Quil's dad's…" Embry's voice trailed off. We all knew why. Those were the houses of tribe members known to carry the gene. "Shit. And in Forks the trail went to Jake and Bella's neighborhood, and near the school Trevor goes to — the nursery school Lola's at too."

"Crap!" Quil exclaimed. "Well, at least we know what it was about the specimen that made it special, but why would they want it?"

"I doubt those two, _specifically_, were the ones that wanted it. I bet they were sent by others — the only ones we know who want to wipe out the gene, and everyone who carries it," Leah commented.

"Volturi," Seth and Quil hissed together.

"They're probably trying to find a way to get rid of us, but not anyone else. How do you do that?" Seth inquired.

"Who the fuck knows? No one here's won the Nobel prize for Medicine," Leah offered sarcastically.

"Well, we can't just sit here like sitting ducks!" I shouted. "We have to _do_ something!"

"What exactly do you propose we do, oh high and mighty chief?" I didn't have an answer, but I didn't need one. Leah already had a plan. "I'm not thrilled about this, but we have to let Sam know. This involves him too." We nodded in agreement. "Then, we have to get a hold of the Cullens."

"Are you fucking _crazy_, Leah?" I yelled. "They're the _last_ people we need around here!"

"They're the only ones we know with ties to the Volturi, and there's a doctor among them — the only one who knows of werewolves and vampires." Shit, she was right, again. I hated it when she was right.

"Even if we _want_ to contact them, we can't. No one knows where they went. They might not be in the country anymore. Remember, they had conditions set upon them by the Volturi as well," I reminded her.

"Yeah, I remember, but I bet your _wife_ can get a hold of them."

"Tread carefully, Leah. What exactly are you implying about Bella, and may I remind you she is your friend as well as my wife?"

"You don't need to remind me. I'm just saying; that pasty faced ex of hers wouldn't take off without giving her some way to reach him. Even if, for some uncharacteristic reason, he didn't do that, they still have the fortune-teller. I bet she's regularly 'checking up' on Bella. If we get her away from the pack for a reasonable amount of time, _Miss. Crystal Ball_ will figure out we're looking for them."

I figured out why I hated it when Leah was right. She had this way of explaining things to us that screamed, "I know everything, and you dumb ass hats know nothing." In this particular instance, the sentiment wasn't far off. Of course, that irritated me even more.

I paced back and forth, running my fingers through my hair. I knew what had to be done, but I didn't want to talk to Bella about it. We were walking on a tightrope right now, and the thought of bringing up the damn mind reader made me want to spit.

Leah. She seemed like a mind reader herself sometimes.

"Jake?" I didn't answer, still pacing. "Look, you talk to Sam, and I'll talk to Bella."

"You shouldn't be the one to do–" I began.

"Yes I should," she interjected. "I'm second in command, right?" I nodded. That had been established early on, and surprisingly, it had worked out well. "That means I'd have to talk to Sam, and frankly I'd rather not, so I say we trade. You game?" Oh, I was game.

"Okay, you've talked me into it," I replied. It was ironic; Leah and I were joking about the division of undesirable responsibilities, as though we were divvying up chores. Of course, that was _why_ we were making light of it. It was easier than facing the reality of annihilation.

When it was time, I decided my meeting with Sam had to be face-to-face. I went out to the Makah reservation, and as predicted, it was awkward but bearable. Emily was warm and welcoming, but that was expected too.

Emily was very concerned when she heard about Bella's ectopic pregnancy, but became distant and left the room when she found out the pregnancy was unwanted.

Sam didn't seem as shocked as we had been about the specimen snatching, which caught me a little off guard.

"Sam, has anything suspicious been going on around _here_?" I asked.

"Nothing specific, why?"

"Because you don't seem that surprised about what happened," I replied.

"I guess that's because I never trusted those bloodsuckers. I knew it'd be a matter of time before they found a way to get to us. Actually, I already thought they'd found a way, except I couldn't explain why you and Bella…" His words trailed off, as he stared down the hallway after Emily.

"What you do mean you thought they'd found a way? What's been happening?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Looks like it was just a coincidence, especially after what happened in Forks yesterday."

"Why don't you indulge me?" I was irritated he had kept secrets from us — especially considering I had come out here to inform him of what we had learned.

He hesitated, which confused me. No matter how much tension or discomfort there was between us, we both had the same agenda, or at least that's what I'd always believed.

"Look, I'm not trying to keep things from you," It was eerie how we could read each other so well. I guess those months of sharing our thoughts seven years ago had left its mark. "It's personal, and it's not just my secret," he replied.

"I respect that, Sam, but if this has anything to do with… Well, you know what's right, and I trust you to tell me if it's remotely significant," I said.

"Aw, hell. We're still brothers on some level, aren't we?" he stated rhetorically. "Em and I, we've been trying to have a baby for a couple of years and she hasn't gotten pregnant, not even a miscarriage. I can't see a doctor, and she's got nothing wrong with her. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, except Kim and Jared have the same problem, and now Paul and Rachel."

"I didn't know…" I muttered, sad that the division has even put a rift between my sister and me. I had no idea she was trying to start a family.

"Of course you didn't. Anyhow, Paul, Jared and I talked on a few occasions and wondered if the Volturi hadn't found some way to keep us from passing on the gene. Maybe they had done something to our water, or the food supply, except you and Bella didn't have any trouble. In fact, it seems the exact _opposite_ is happening to you."

"It doesn't mean your suspicions are necessarily _wrong_. None of you live in Forks like we do."

"Yeah, I thought of that too, but Jared's in La Push, and they get their drinking water from the same source as you. Besides, I was pretty sure you guys spent a lot of time in La Push, with Charlie and Billy both living there."

"We do." The more information I gathered, the more tangled this mystery got. "So, we're going to try and get a hold of the Cullens. I thought you should know."

"I figured you'd go that route." I had expected Sam to be upset, and was a taken aback by his nonchalance.

"Really? That's it? You don't have a problem with it?" I questioned, surprised. Sam hated leeches as much as any of us, and the Cullens were no exceptions.

"I'm not thrilled about it, but we don't have too many options," he answered. "The Cullens have a doctor, and I bet they've been doing their own research all these years."

"Why do you say that?"

"Remember the blonde — the one that saved you, twice?" I nodded. I hated being reminded that I owed one of _them_ anything. "Well, that doctor of theirs is a curious one. I'd bet money he scrutinized that blonde to figure out what went wrong with her. In fact, we don't know for sure she _ever_ got better."

"She was doing pretty well when they left," I offered.

"Sure, she was, but she wasn't the same as she used to be."

"Yet," I added.

"You don't know that, not for certain."

"We don't know _anything_ for certain," I grumbled, but doubt had seeped in. I was no longer confident that anything had worked out as I had assumed all those years ago.

"Hey, how's Quil doing?" Sam inquired.

"Things were kind of whacky the first few days, but he's not going nuts anymore," I answered. I was holding back, and Sam knew it.

Quil had been a mess for two days after the imprint. All he wanted was to see Claire, but it was impossible. She was a child, with whom he had no ties. She didn't even _know_ him. Embry stayed close to him the whole time, to make sure he didn't stalk her. By the end of Monday, Quil wasn't as jittery, and able to function like a reasonable human being, but he had changed.

He broke up with Jessica, breaking her heart. I found out about it from Embry, but didn't tell Bella because we were fighting at the time. Now, we had more pressing concerns, and I was hesitant to add this to the growing number of things going on around us.

Quil's behavior changed, but we couldn't explain, at first, exactly _what_ had changed. Essentially, he no longer made lewd jokes, or commented on girls he encountered. It was as if he had lost all interest in romantic relationships. It made him a different person to us, and we missed our friend. This person wasn't him.

Quil didn't say anything about it to us, and I suspected he didn't like admitting it to himself, but we knew. He was waiting for Claire to grow up.

"Huh. I wondered what it'd be like not to be with your imprint. I know what it feels like to be away from Em, but then again, I've never been gone more than a day."

"Yeah, well it was rough for a couple days, and he broke off the engagement with Jessica," I muttered.

"That goes with the territory. I remember when it happened to me and how I had a need to let go of Leah even though… Look, if Quil has more problems, you let him know. I'm here to help, if he wants it. Maybe I can talk to Em and let him come by while Claire's visiting."

"Sure, I'll pass on the message," I lied. I couldn't do that. It was strange enough that my friend was waiting around for a nine year old to grow up, but to get to know her as a child and _then_ have a romantic relationship with her some years down the line? It made my skin crawl.

I returned from Sam's earlier than expected. Leah had picked Bella up from the hospital, and the children were still with Charlie and Sue. I wasn't sure at first if they'd had a chance to talk, but when I saw Bella's face, I knew.

"Hey," I said, stepping into the house.

Bella looked up from the couch with red, puffy eyes. Leah's arm was draped over Bella's shoulders.

"Jake, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I don't know why… I should have thrown it out. I don't want you to think I kept it because–"

"Shhh…" I sat on the other side of her, pulling her close to me, cradling her in my arms. "It's okay, Bells. You don't have to explain anything. The important thing is that we can contact them."

She nodded between sniffles, got up, and walked upstairs.

"How were things with Sam?" Leah asked once Bella left.

"Weird," I answered.

"What do you mean?"

"It's kind of a long story, but basically he's on board with our plan."

"You're not going to spill about the rest?"

I shrugged. "I'll tell you everything later. It's not going to change anything."

Bella came down clutching something in her fist. She looked hesitant, as though afraid to show us what she had, but she took a deep breath and put the cold, metallic object in my hand.

I looked down at the small, silver square. It opened, like a large locket, and engraved inside was a telephone number, an address to a P.O. box, and an email address.

"Thanks, honey," I whispered, pulling out all the patience I had _not_ to sound bitter. "You want to call?" I asked, not knowing what would be best.

"It doesn't matter. I don't mind if you want to… unless you'd _prefer_ me to… whatever you feel–"

"Oh for Christ's sake! You've been married almost seven years! Can you stop being polite and get the job done?" Leah butt in. "Jake, you call. If she calls, he's going to get all gooey and off topic."

I nodded and got the telephone, dialing as I walked back to the couch.

He answered on the first ring.

"Bella."

It wasn't a question. What was this, the damn bat phone?

"Wrong. It's actually _Mr_. Bella. Not so sharp when you can't read my mind, eh?"

"Jacob."

If he was going to say something, why couldn't he say something insightful, instead of just our names? I already knew what _they_ were.

"I need to talk to the doc — maybe the talking crystal ball, too."

"Is Bella all right? Has something happened to her? If you've done anything to endanger her I'll‒"

"If I had done anything to endanger her — which I would never do — I certainly wouldn't be calling _you_ to talk about it. Look, we've had a couple of leeches inside our line the other day. The first in seven years."

"Perhaps they were unaware of the Volturi decree? Many of our kind live in isolation."

"Nope, it wasn't that. They came here on purpose — to take something from us."

There was a momentary silence, after which he asked irritatingly, "Will you be sharing what it was anytime soon?" I suppose he wasn't used to _asking_ for answers. In some twisted way, I liked that.

"They stole a… specimen from the hospital that carried the wolf gene."

"Why were one of you at a hospital? If you want to remain undiscovered you can't–"

"It wasn't one of us. Look, I don't feel like explaining this twice. Give me the fucking doc. You're going to eavesdrop anyway, so there's no reason for you to hog the damn phone!"

Honestly, I couldn't understand how that coven could stand living with him.

I looked over at the girls while I waited for Dr. Fang to take the phone. I could hear their stupid vampire whispering in the background. Leah was leaning back in her seat, tapping her foot and peering around the room, restless. Bella looked at me, biting her fingernail. I smiled at her, in reassurance. She smiled back weakly, obviously anxious.

"Hello, Jacob. It's nice to hear from you again," Dr. Fang said.

Why the fuck did he have to be so damn polite?

"Hey, yeah, um… can you give us some information?" I asked.

"Certainly, anything to help," he answered.

"Yesterday, a couple of para– _vampires_ came into Forks. They're the first we've had in this area in seven years. Anyhow, they stole a specimen from the hospital with the wolf gene. We followed their trail, and they'd been in La Push where all the carriers of the gene lived. We wanted to know if the Volturi have been in contact with you recently, or–"

"If it's not too personal, Jacob, may I ask what _kind_ of specimen it was?" he asked. I paused, not sure if I wanted to share. "It would be helpful. I assume none of the pack would go to a hosp–"

"It was a fetus," I blurted out, interrupting him, "mine and Bella's."

"Oh. I'm terribly sorry, Jacob. Please let Bella know we all feel–"

"Look, can we _not_ get into that? You don't know the circumstances, and I don't want to explain them to you, okay?"

"Of course, we respect your need for privacy."

"Sure, sure. Look, I've got a question for you about something else."

"Anything, Jacob."

"How's Rosalie? Is she back to her old self?" Again, there was a long pause. That pretty much answered my question. "You might as well tell me what's wrong with her, because I have a feeling it's related. If you don't share, I'm not sharing anything else."

"She's doing well, but she is not her old self," he answered.

"In what way?" I inquired.

"I think your assessment is correct, Jacob. There may be a relationship between Rosalie's state and what happened to you recently; however, it would be more prudent to meet in person."

"What about the Volturi treaty?"

"_We_ would be the ones breaking it, not you. We have ways of hiding from them. You may choose the location and time, and we will be there."

"Just so we understand each other, when you say 'we' it will _not_ include the mind-reader."

"I'm not sure if–"

"I'm not budging on this, doc. There's no need for him to be present. Either he stays away or no deal."

"_You_ were the one who called _us_!" the telepath yelled from somewhere in the room.

"This affects you too!" I screamed back at him. "Look, doc," I began in a more civilized tone, "bring whomever you like, the blonde, her big ass dude, the creepy looking major, anyone, just not _him_."

"Of course, Jacob. Will Bella…?"

"No. And I mean it when I say _not him_. I don't even want him in the damn state. We're going to check."

"Don't worry, Edward will stay behind. Some of the others will stay with him to ensure he doesn't act on his own after our departure."

We decided on Leah's place in Port Angeles for the day after tomorrow and hung up. After seven years of baby bottles, unpaid bills, and working at boring, menial jobs, the exciting world of vampires and wolves were coming back into my life. I decided, at the age of twenty-three, I really had had enough excitement to last me a lifetime.

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><p><em>The next chapter will be up next Tuesday. The Cullens are coming, and what is up with Rosalie? Thanks for keeping up with my story, and a review would be much appreciated!<em>


	6. Chapter 5: Answers,Discoveries,Questions

_Thank you **Iamtwilightobsessed (MP)** for pre-reading this chapter, then going over it again the night before posting after my numerous last minute revisions. I'm glad you're here to offer a helping hand (or eye, as the case may be)._

_Notes about posting schedule changes are at the end, so be sure to take a look when you're finished reading this chapter!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Answers, Discoveries, Questions<strong>

He was the only one in the room who hadn't voiced a complaint — not even about our mutual stenches. It pissed me off. Could a leech _really_ be that damn nice, or was he just a better actor than the rest of us?

"What you've told us, Sam, is quite intriguing," Dr. Fang commented. He had been in conversation with Sam for some time now. It was getting a little repetitive. "I don't feel it's a coincidence, particularly since all three of you are with your imprints."

"What about _her_? She looks fine to me," I remarked, nodding towards vampire Barbie. I wanted to get moving with the conversation. The faster we were done here, the faster I could get home to Bella and away from the stink.

"Ungrateful mutt," she hissed under her breath.

"Rosalie, please, hostility won't solve any problems for us," the doc responded.

"I'm fine, for now, but I'm not immortal anymore, okay?" the blonde spat. "You happy?"

Not immortal? I didn't get it. She was _definitely_ _not_ human, so what did that leave?

"She's still a vampire, for the most part," the fortune-teller offered. "But, she's slowly… deteriorating, or aging, something."

"She's turning _human_?" Sam asked. He was the only one from his pack at this meeting, and Leah and I were the only ones from ours.

"If I were turning human, I wouldn't care about losing my immortality, but I'm losing it and gaining nothing in return," she replied bitterly. That was unexpected. I hadn't thought any of them _wanted_ to be human, especially her.

Dr. Fang put a hand on her arm, rubbing in a comforting gesture. Maybe I should have had the mind-reading asshole come after all. It was easier to hate them when _he_ was around.

"Rosalie's strength is deteriorating, as is her speed; however, nothing else in her body is changing to indicate a transformation. She is still the same temperature, her skin remains like stone, and her mind as rigid as any of our kind. Internally, all her organs remain the same — useless, stone replicas of their former selves." He sounded odd, almost wistful. "If you examine her skin, you'll notice it's taking on a delicate, papery look, and her eyes are becoming cloudy."

I scrutinized her carefully and realized it was true. It reminded me of something — or someone — I had seen before. I scrunched up my face, trying to remember what it reminded me of.

"The Volturi, Jacob. They had skin and eyes similar to that."

"What the hell? Are you able to read minds now?" I asked the dark-haired midget.

She smiled and answered, "No, your expressions are easy to read."

"Okay, so where's the connection?" I asked, irritated about my "easy to read" expressions.

"Rosalie's state was likely caused by exposure to your blood — and from drinking your sister's," the doc began. "Furthermore, the Volturi are aware of this. It's probably what accelerated everything. Aro had been coming to visit us every year or two, and he learned of Rosalie's state fairly quickly. He had been distressed thinking your shape-shifter gene made human blood unpalatable, but now that it appeared to be _fatal_… Well, he's determined more than ever to find a way to stop the spread."

"We're not some damn disease," Leah threw out bitterly. "If anything, all of _you_ are."

Carlisle gave Leah an apologetic look before continuing. "Aro's concern goes beyond the pack — or even the Quileutes. He fears many humans may have some trace of the gene, and our kind will continue to feed on them, increasing our exposure over time, and not realizing its effect until it's too late."

Leah started laughing out loud. I glared at her, unable to imagine what could be so funny.

"Don't you get it?" she asked rhetorically. "The little fucker's afraid of dying! He's afraid after, what — a _thousand_ years?"

"Aro, like many of our kind, does not believe there is an afterlife for us," Dr. Fang explained. "He feels being a vampire is his damnation, or eternity, whichever way you wish to see it."

"So what?" Leah injected. "Christopher Hitchens didn't believe in an afterlife either, but I don't remember _him_ trying to commit genocide, and he only lived about sixty years!"

"We're not justifying what Aro's planning, nor are we anything _like_ him! Carlisle's merely explaining the situation, so he can help you!" the talking eight ball replied.

"Whatever, bitch. Don't get into a hissy fit," Leah threw back, sneering.

"Who are _you_ calling a _bitch_, you mangy mutt?" Bloodsucker Barbie countered, stepping closer to Leah.

"Okay, okay, this isn't the reason we're here," I cut in, pushing Leah away from Rosalie. "Why don't you continue, Carlisle." I decided to set an example and use their damn names.

"Thank you, Jacob. As you know, having Edward with us means nothing is hidden. At the last visit we found out Aro was conducting research to isolate humans who had a genetic history of the wolf gene, while looking for a vulnerability that would exist only in the carriers, and not other humans."

"Basically, I was right," Leah commented. "Genocide."

"It would appear so, Leah," Carlisle responded with a defeated sigh.

"What does this have to do with Emily not getting pregnant?" Sam inquired.

"Aro was working on some way to prevent the current pack from… procreating. Last we met, his plan was to change humans with the potential for formidable gifts to add to their guard and conduct more experiments with the wolf gene. He was also working on ways to make the current pack sterile," Carlisle replied. "Of course, his first target was Jacob, so it's curious that you and Bella have not had the same problems the others have faced."

That was when I heard Bella's words echo in my mind. At the time, I had waved them off, believing she was merely upset, but her words rang true now.

"Carlisle?" I spoke, stirring him from his thoughts. "Bella and I are a bit… beyond not having 'problems'."

"What do you mean, Jacob?" he queried.

"We have three children, and none were planned. Most were conceived against the odds," I was uncomfortable sharing personal information without Bella getting a say, but it seemed necessary, and I knew she'd agree.

"What kind of odds, Jacob?"

"Well, Trevor, our first, he was unplanned, but it wasn't shocking. We were young and careless," I answered. "But our second, our daughter, Lola…"

"Lola, a girl, too." I heard Rosalie whisper to herself. She looked away self-consciously when I glared at her.

"Lola," I continued, "she was conceived while we used… contraceptives. We weren't always diligent, but we tried. Then our third, Serena… Bella was on the pill. She had to take antibiotics at one point, so I used… other stuff during that time, but she still got pregnant. And then…" I hesitated, not sure if it was right to share this.

"Then what?" Rosalie asked.

"Bella… had an abortion," I whispered. Rosalie's face turned ugly. I gave her an equally ugly look back. "But it… failed."

"This was a first trimester D and C, Jacob?" Carlisle asked, with no judgment in his voice or expression.

"Yeah, she didn't realize it hadn't worked until a month later."

"Well, it's certainly happened before, but it _is_ _highly_ unusual, especially considering she had already had two successful pregnancies. And this… specimen?" Carlisle inquired further.

"Bella got pregnant again recently, but it was ectopic. She had had her tubes tied just after Serena was born."

"She got pregnant after getting her _tubes tied_?" Rosalie exclaimed in disbelief. The way she looked reminded me of Emily when she had heard this.

I ignored her and continued, "Somehow the lee- the _vampires_ stole the specimen before it got to pathology."

"Are you sure that's what they took?" Alice asked.

"Well, it went missing, and when we chased them, I smelled human blood, _familiar_ human blood. I couldn't pinpoint _why_ it was familiar until I got back to the hospital and realized it smelled a little like Bella, but not exactly."

"I agree; there are too many coincidences," Carlisle replied.

"Why wouldn't Bella want the baby?" Rosalie demanded. What the hell business was it of hers?

"Rose, it's not our place," Alice hissed, giving her arm a nudge.

"No, I want to know. What is so miserable about her life that she wanted to… to kill a baby?"

"She wasn't _killing_ a _baby_, you judgmental bitch!" I retaliated "You have no idea how little control Bella has over her life! Who are _you_ to judge _her_, _bloodsucker_?"

"There can be nothing so horrible with her life to warrant–"

"_Enough_, Rosalie!" I'd never heard him sound angry before, but it was a good thing he butt in, because I was ready to belt her, even if she _had_ saved my life. "This is none of our business. _Bella_ was not the one who took anything from you, Rosalie." What the fuck was _that_ about? "There are more pressing matters."

"Yes," Alice agreed, pushing the blonde aside with little effort. "Jacob, things have happened since we last saw Aro. I can no longer see the Volturi's future, or decisions. I don't know how he's able to do this. The only ones whose future I've never been able to see are you, and your pack."

"Well, I can assure you, none of _us_ are in Italy," Sam responded.

"We know _that_, but it doesn't answer the question of why they're a blind spot for me now," Alice reiterated. "Which means we're going into this not knowing what to expect," she added anxiously.

I stared at her, incredulous. "Well, welcome to life, vampire hobbit," I snickered. She scrunched up her face and turned her head away from me.

"I have a question," Leah interrupted. She had been in a corner, seemingly deep in thought, but now looked irritated. "What is Aro using to 'conduct' his experiments? The specimen was only stolen a few days ago."

All three vampires got a guilty look on their faces, even Rosalie.

"I need to apologize…" Carlisle responded, speaking first. "When we fought the Volturi together, and I treated all of you… I took a sample of blood from Seth. There was some left from the transfusion; I was so intrigued by your kind that my curiosity got the better of me."

"You fucking jerk! You call yourself a doctor?" Leah hissed. "What kind of medical ethics do you adhere to? This is _your_ fault! Aro found out and took _your_ sample — my brother's blood!"

"We're sorry, Leah. We never imagined…" Alice whispered, unable to meet Leah's eyes.

"This was all my doing, Leah," Carlisle admitted. "You are right to question my ethics. What I did was inexcusable, and if I could take it back, I certainly would, but I can't. All I can do is promise to do everything in my power to stop anything my actions may have put into motion."

"We'll see how much your version of 'everything' is," Leah muttered, as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"We should finish our business here. There are decisions to be made soon," Carlisle said, redirecting the conversation. "Somehow, the Volturi have found a way to prevent most of you from reproducing, now it would seem their next objective is to identify and eliminate other carriers to avoid feeding on them. I am certain that is why Bella's specimen was taken. It was a carrier, as are all your children. It would give Aro what he needs to find a way to isolate, and identify, the gene in others, not to mention finding its weak spots."

"We all know what our 'weak spot' is," I grumbled.

"Don't be too sure of that, Jacob," Alice replied.

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't expect your blood to be deadly to us, but it was," she continued "Perhaps your legends got a few things wrong? Do you have any _proof_ vampire venom is deadly to you?"

"Uh, yeah, I got bitten, _twice_, remember? If you don't; you can ask Barbie over there," I threw in. "I'm sure _she_ remembers."

"But you didn't die, Jacob," Alice persisted.

"That's because _she_ saved my life," I said, pointing at Rosalie. "Oh, yeah, and thanks," I threw in.

"What if she hadn't?" Man, for someone so small, she sure was hugely irritating.

"I'd be dead." Something about the way they looked at me made me question my answer.

"We don't believe that," Rosalie replied.

There was a moment of silence as Sam, Leah and I let that sink in.

"Whether it's true or not, we're not finding out tonight, got it?" Leah commented, speaking up first.

"Yes, of course," Carlisle answered.

"What makes you think this?" I asked.

"In the analysis I've done," Carlisle began. "I exposed some of Seth's blood to our venom, and it reacted, as expected, but the reaction was temporary. As time passed, the blood fought the venom and… well in simplified terms, it won. It makes sense that your kind has defenses specifically to defend against our kind."

"Huh," Sam remarked, deep in thought. "And what about us not being able to have kids? What's causing that?"

"We can try to figure that out," Carlisle suggested. "What do you, Jared and Paul have in common that Jacob does not?" he asked.

"Sam and I already went through this, and we couldn't think of anything significant," I commented.

"Think of _everything_, Jacob, not just what is deemed 'significant'," Carlisle requested.

"Jacob is the only _born_ Alpha," Sam offered. I was surprised to hear him give that out right away. "And he's the only one not married to his imprint." _That_ one I really didn't need to hear.

"I'm the only one living in Forks, the others are in La Push or up in the Makah reservation, but Forks and La Push get their water from the same place, and we all–"

"No, it wouldn't be something that global," the doctor cut in. "It's not affecting the rest of the population in your community; am I correct, Sam?"

"That's right, no one else, just us. Em's sister and brother had kids without any problems."

"What do you, Jared and Paul have in common — something that is not shared with everyone else?"

"We're all part of the same pack," Sam replied.

"But, Jacob is too," Alice added.

"Not really?" I said, hesitant to reveal too much about us.

The three vampires all raised an eyebrow simultaneously. It would have been comical if it weren't such a dismal situation.

"Look, you wanted to get business finished here, so leave our pack politics out of it and get on with it," Leah threw in. "Jacob, not in Sam's pack, move on!"

"Where do you work, Sam?" Carlisle asked.

"One of the new plants," he answered with a shrug. "We didn't want to, but since the economic crash in two thousand eight, things have been hard all over… Most of us who are married work at one of the new…" Sam let the thought trail as he looked at me. "Jacob was stubborn. He held out and refused to work for any new business since we couldn't know for sure if it was the work of the Volturi or not…"

"I got a job at one of them a few days ago, but I haven't started yet," I added.

"This would be an environment where the Volturi would have total control," Carlisle mused, his hand on his chin. "Do you have any safety equipment, or uniforms which are yours exclusively, and never shared with others?" he inquired.

"Fuck!" Sam exclaimed, hitting his fist into his hand. "Yeah, we have custom fitted masks, plus special jumpers, gloves, boots, and safety glasses to protect us from chemical exposure. But, wouldn't our bodies heal from this?" Sam asked.

"One would think, but your bodies need time to heal. If the exposure were enough to last a few days, or a week, even with the fast healing…"

"What are they using?" Sam demanded, obviously agitated.

"I couldn't say for sure off the top of my head," the doctor replied, still calm and clinical. "But there are many substances that can render men sterile."

"That doesn't explain _our_ situation," I added.

"No, it doesn't. Your situation is a most curious one, Jacob."

"So, what now?" Leah asked.

"Now?" Carlisle returned, finally stirred from his thoughts as he looked from Leah to me. "Edward is on a trip to Italy, and he should be letting us know what he has learned in a day or two."

"Pardon me?" I asked.

"He knows nothing of what transpired here, so he can't unwillingly share what we have discussed, but he _will_ be able to read _their_ minds."

"Won't all of you get killed or something because you broke the treaty?"

"Edward's mind-reading capabilities have a range of a mile or two, and it's better with our kind whose thoughts he has become familiar with."

"So he's going to sneak up on the Volturi compound without anyone noticing? Yeah, right," I threw in skeptically.

"He's going in broad daylight on an exceptionally sunny day," Alice chirped proudly. Obviously, she was the weather girl in their household.

"Is he trying to kill the whole town by blinding them with his disco ball talent?" Leah remarked with cynicism.

"He'll be covered up," Rosalie returned.

"Yeah, because _that_ won't attract any suspicion," Leah muttered.

"He'll be in a… traditional outfit for a… sector of humans," said Carlisle.

"Huh? Like who? A hockey goalie?" I probed, confused.

"No, he'll be slouching and wearing a… burkha. We've hired a human actor to accompany him as his… spouse. The man thinks this is an elaborate practical joke between some eccentric, wealthy people."

"Wait, you're telling me know-it-all douche bag's going to be in drag, and I'm going to miss it?" I snickered.

"You might want to show a little respect, dog," hissed Rosalie. "He's doing this for you and the rest of your pack of dogs!"

"Speaking of which, what's in it for you?" I queried suspiciously. "I guess there's a remote chance Carlisle would help us out of the kindness of his dead heart, but I'm doubting the rest would be so willing."

No one replied.

"Spit it out already!" Leah exclaimed. "What's with the hesitation? We don't have forever here. The rest of us only have sixteen waking hours a day, you know?"

"We need more… samples, of varying sorts, for some research of our own," Carlisle answered. "It would be more effective if it were from a current pack member, rather than a carrier."

"What the hell? You building a Franken wolf or something?" Leah tossed out accusingly.

"Carlisle's doing it for me," Rosalie responded. "He's looking for some way to reverse… whatever's happening to me, maybe find a treatment."

She sounded… human. It bothered me that they appeared as more than the emotionless, stone leeches I had always pegged them for. It also made me guilt ridden for not having shown more appreciation. Rosalie _had_ done something for me that I would likely never have done for her.

"I'll give you whatever you need," I volunteered. "I owe her; after all, she's like this because she saved me."

"Hold up!" Leah interjected. "I'm no scientist, but I _did_ take high school biology. If you're looking for a cure, or treatment, chances are you may discover an inoculation of some sort. Maybe it hasn't worked out so well for _you_, but I kind of _like_ that our blood is poison for leeches."

"You're right, Leah," Carlisle returned. "That is a possibility, but we would never share any such discovery with–"

"The asshole reads minds! He has no _need_ for you to share!" Leah shouted. Then, she turned to me. "Jake, I know you feel you owe her, and I get that, but you can't take away one of _our_ defenses. It's your _children's_ _only_ defense against a vampire feeding on them!"

"What if we wait until after this is resolved?" Alice offered. "Leah, we have allies, and we want to destroy Aro. Our goal is to be free again, to live as we please. Our existence right now is… We're confined to shadow and darkness, with no life outside our home."

"And we are distressed about the large number of humans the Volturi are planning to destroy," Carlisle added.

"I'm okay, if we wait until Aro's dead," I affirmed.

"Have any of you 'cheated' on your diet, or even come close?" Sam asked.

"No, never," Alice answered immediately. "We've been doing this for decades and Carlisle for centuries."

"_Carlisle's_ not the one I'm worried about," Sam sneered.

"What is it you _think_ you know?" Alice accused.

"Jacob and Bella don't keep secrets from each other, and Jacob used to share his thoughts with me, remember?" Sam replied.

"None of us have strayed," Rosalie answered, pulling Alice away from Sam. "I've had a little more donated blood seven years ago, after leaving Forks, but other than that, no one's come close to cheating. We're all much better at it — every single one of us," she added for good measure, it seemed.

"Theoretically, if they're never going to feed on humans, they'd have no need for a vaccine," Sam muttered, more to himself than the rest of us. "But how can we be sure that you'll keep any discoveries to yourselves?"

"You'll just have to trust us," Rosalie responded.

"You're asking a lot," Sam remarked bitterly.

"Remember, you need our help too. You can't stop the Volturi on your own," Alice reminded us.

"What about these 'allies' you mentioned? Do they feed on humans?" Leah accused. "Are they going to know about your little laboratory of horrors?"

"There are four of them, all like us, feeding only on animals," Carlisle offered.

"I guess we don't have too many options. What do you think, Jake?" Sam asked.

I shrugged, "You're right; we don't have much choice," I replied with resignation.

"Okay, fine, so what do _we_ do now?" Sam grumbled.

"I would suggest going about your lives as though nothing has happened," Carlisle suggested.

"I'm _not_ going back to work after what you told us," Sam said in response.

"It would raise suspicion if all three of you quit at once," Alice commented.

"Look, whatever they did might get undone if we gave ourselves a chance to heal, but I'm not risking it for one more day!"

"If you raise suspicion now, you risk the lives of so many others! Are you too selfish to care about anyone other than your own family?" Rosalie accused.

"I am a protector of many, without pay, acknowledgement, or appreciation!" Sam shouted at her. "Who are _you_ to judge _me_?"

"Perhaps, Sam, you, Paul, and Jared could take a few days off and quit afterward to start your own business?" Carlisle proposed. "We can set something up for you so–"

"I'm not taking your damn charity!" Sam barked.

"It's not charity you ungrateful–" Rosalie started, but Carlisle put his hand up, silencing her.

"It will help _all_ of us, Sam," he continued in a soft tone. "We mean no disrespect. It is simply the fastest way to solve our problem."

Sam didn't answer, but he also stopped protesting.

We concluded our meeting and headed home. The Cullens were staying close to the state line in Oregon, awaiting word from Edward. I was still a little skeptical about their involvement. Bella had told me many times of how they cared about human lives, especially Carlisle, but to go to all these lengths… it wasn't how I imagined vampires to be, and I was yet to be convinced of their true nature.

I was deep in thought as I drove into our driveway. That's probably why I didn't notice the unfamiliar car parked across the street, but there was no escaping the stench once I opened the car door. I didn't stop to think about the neighbors. In seconds, I went from the car and into our house, ready to kill.

"Jacob," the two of them said in unison.

Bella said it in surprise, like a question. The other said it matter-of-factly, because he knew I was coming. Of course he knew, because he had been reading my thoughts, probably as soon as I had turned the corner, onto our street.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear from you! I answer all reviews (just saying). <em>

_For those who are fans of audreyii-fic, I've recently interviewed her for Fandom Fanatic. You can read the interview at:_

_fandomfanatic(dot)blogspot_(dot)_com/2012/03/spotlight-interview-with-audreyiific_(dot)_html?zx=1ae9066928739f39 comments for the interview can be left at the bottom. You have to scroll down past the little blurb about me._

_Also, if you haven't checked out the Truly Anonymous One Shot Picture & Prompt Contest, you should! Not only am I one of the authors who have entered, but there are other wolf writers too, and we all need pack readers to support us with votes! (You know, if you think the story is worthy of it, of course.) Pairings are listed in the story summaries. You can read the entries at: ficcontest_(dot)_info_

_Lastly, the posting schedule change… I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the next update will be on Sunday March 11th. The bad news is that I'm going on vacation and will be without internet, telephone, whatever access; therefore, the next update, after the one on March 11th, will be more than one week. It will be on the regular update day: Tuesday March 20th._


	7. Chapter 6: Fragile Truce

_Thank you, **Iamtwilightobsessed (MP),** for answering all my questions, making sensible suggestions, and reading my convoluted thought processes!_

_Much gratitude goes out to my new beta, **JaspersDestin**y, from SRP, who was given this chapter the moment she contacted me and asked to get it back ASAP! What a fantastic chick!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Fragile Truce<strong>

"Get out of my house!" I screamed, grabbing his jacket and shoving him towards the doorway. The damn stone statue wouldn't budge, but I _did_ rip his collar off.

"Jake, calm down!" Bella exclaimed worriedly as she took hold of my arm. "He came to help!"

"There's a time and place for this, and dropping in unannounced in _my_ home is not it!" I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to me.

She felt stiff in my arms and she turned her head away. Something didn't feel right.

"My apologies, Jacob," the parasite chirped as he took a step toward me. "It was wrong to have come here. Please, let us go outside, to talk." He made a motion with his hand for me to follow. I felt Bella pull away from me.

I reached out and grabbed her chin, turning her head so she was forced to face me. Bella and I were close enough that our noses nearly touched. She was holding her breath, but it wasn't enough to hide the smell. I saw the guilt on her face, and it filled me with rage.

"Jacob, this was _my_ fault, not hers!" the leech shouted, reaching for my wife.

I smashed my lips to hers and kissed her violently, urging her mouth open with my tongue. The taste was familiar to me. It had been seven years, but I would never forget anything this horrid, no matter how much time had passed.

I pulled away suddenly and looked at Bella in disbelief. I felt heat behind my eyes and willed them not to fill with tears. I knew anger wouldn't be enough to keep them at bay, though.

"Jake, it just happened. I don't know how... I didn't mean to, and it didn't mean anything." She fell to her knees in front of me and reached up to grab my hands. "Please, Jake! Forgive me! You know I love you most!"

"That's not the problem anymore, Bells. You need to love _only _me." I turned and stormed out of the house. The sound of her sobbing was loud in my ears as I left, just as _his_ voice was as it rang clear while he comforted her.

"Bella, love, he's angry. I'll go and talk to him. Will you be all right here for a few minutes? I'm so sorry to have caused this discord. I should never have come."

"It's not your fault, Edward. It was me. _I_ was the one who did something wrong."

"Love, don't put this on yourself. It was innocent. A bond like we had, that we still share on some level, can't disappear."

I couldn't listen to any more. I ran into the trees lining our backyard, tearing my clothes off along the way as I phased.

I ran as fast as I could, but I didn't make it very far. He tackled me. He actually fucking _tackled_ me! Well, this was what I'd been waiting for! He had made the first move, so now it was fair game.

I rolled over and jerked to loosen his grip on me. It wasn't easy. The one thing I had on my side was that I was out to kill and he wasn't. I knew because the pressure from his grip hindered movement yet caused no harm.

"Jacob, please listen! It's not what you think! This was my fault, not hers. Please, her life is with _you_. If you allow this to come between the two of you, she will never be happy."

Fuck, I wished I could talk! Sometimes being a wolf was impractical.

"I hear you loud and clear," he answered.

I growled loudly, reaching back to bite him but only catching air. It was annoying.

"Please listen! Don't you want to know what I learned in Italy at least before killing me?"

_I can find out through Carlisle,_ I thought. _I_ _have a feeling he'd tell me, even if I __**did**__ kill you first._

"I haven't spoken to Carlisle yet," he informed me.

Shit, this was useless. I had forgotten how annoying his mind reading was in a fight. I wished I knew how I had done that damn "parlor trick" all those years ago.

"You _still_ don't know?" He sounded surprised. "Emmett will be quite disappointed," he said, chuckling. The fucker actually _laughed_!

_We're not play fighting here, you dumb ass!_

"Jacob, you know this isn't going to accomplish anything."

I knew it, but it didn't mean I wanted _him_ to know it.

"Thank you for agreeing with me," he said smugly.

_FUCK OFF! _I screamed in my head as loudly as possible.

"Your thoughts are quite loud; nothing you do will make it appreciably worse."

I let out a loud howl of frustration before phasing back.

"We have enough on our plates without _you_ coming back and hypnotizing her!" I hollered at him.

"It is not hypnosis," he spat resentfully.

"If you want to talk, you had better learn some damn manners because _that_ kind of attitude is _not_ going to make me listen," I spat.

"Jacob, I saw her, and I couldn't help it," he answered, no longer amused. "Imagine if you were in my place? If I had been the one she had chosen and you were the one she had left, you can't tell me you wouldn't have tried to find that connection again."

"Argh!" I screamed as I clutched my hair in my fists. He was right. If I had thought there was a _hint_ of winning her back, I'd stop at nothing to take her away from him. Of course, that didn't make me forgive him—or her. What was _her_ reason?

"She…she didn't kiss me, Jacob," he stuttered out hesitantly.

"I'm not an idiot. I _know_ what it tastes like after you kiss her. This was the _second_ goddamn time I've had to taste _you_ in my fucking mouth!" I yelled.

"I kissed her, Jacob. I seduced her with everything I had," he admitted.

I reached back, formed a fist, and let it swing. Of course, he caught it like a baseball tossed directly at him.

"You and your cheating, hypnotic mumbo jumbo! Why don't you sparkle yourself to death already!"

"I'm sorry, Jacob–"

"You should be apologizing to _her, _too!" I cut in. I lunged for him, only to land in the dirt.

"I already have," he answered as he jumped into a tree.

She probably accepted all the blame for herself; _that's_ how she was, especially where _this_ douche-bag was concerned—not that she wasn't culpable also.

"She has always thought better of me than I've deserved. I'm sorry, Jacob. I was still hoping. I believed I had a chance, but I hadn't realized—"

"You hadn't realized _what_?" I yelled. I jumped to grab him but only succeeded in breaking off a branch. What the hell had he meant by _believed_? Had he decided to surrender because she was a lousy kisser now? Were the stretch marks too much for him?

_You going to wait until I guess_?

"I didn't know you had children," he said in answer to my unvoiced question. "When I found out about the fetus… Both of you are so young… I just assumed…"

He'd thought that had been our only child, leaving us with none.

"That's it? You didn't want to be a _home-wrecker_?" I hollered, incredulous at the absolutely banal reasoning behind it.

"I would never do anything to separate Bella from her children," he replied.

That was good but also not so good. I loved Bella as much—yet separate—from my love for the children. Did she love me the same way, or did she feel bound to me only because of them?

"She loves you, Jacob," he commented. I growled loudly and climbed up the tree. I hated having him in my head. I hated sharing my doubts with the last person that should have knowledge of them.

"Tell me what those Italians are up to so I can kill you already," I demanded, taking yet another useless swipe at him. He jumped down from the tree and landed on his feet without a hair out of place.

"Will you wait until _after_ this conversation before continuing your attempts to kill me?"

I wasn't going to let him get away with kissing my wife.

"I was merely asking you to postpone your assault, not cancel it altogether," he added.

Was this a _joke_ to him? Only a goddamn hundred-year-old virgin would think something like _this_ was a joke!

"Nothing concerning Bella is a jo–" he began in an angry voice.

"If you stop reading my goddamn mind, I'll stop attacking you—for now!" I interjected.

"I can't turn it on and off like a switch, Jacob," he responded smugly, like the dick that he was.

"Then _pretend_, ass hat! You're a good actor; put those skills to use!"

He ignored me and went straight into the details.

"Aro stayed with us for a few months shortly after we left Washington. That's when he took Carlisle's sample," he began matter-of-factly.

"You mean _Seth's_ sample," I corrected.

"Unfortunately," he continued, ignoring my comment, "he found out all the information Carlisle had gathered up until that point, which meant he knew about the studies indicating our venom had no permanent effect on the wolves. Aro left, but not without taking measures to ensure we were monitored, which is why I didn't know you and Bella had children."

"Carlisle already told us about him 'dropping by' regularly to check in with you," I hissed. "Get to the point or I'm phasing and beheading you! I might not know how I did that damn trick seven years ago, but that doesn't mean it won't happen again!"

"Yes, well, his 'checking in' went much further than that," he said, picking up where he'd left off. "Aro found out about Rosalie early on, which intensified his desire to eradicate the wolves. The last time we saw him—over two years ago—he had decided to stop the pack from reproducing and find a carrier to study. We were certain he was going to take a parent or a sibling of the pack, but we were helpless to do anything about it. Carlisle particularly–"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Well, he didn't take anyone. I guess we lucked out that way," I spat bitterly. "What did he want a carrier for?"

"He was looking for a vulnerability in carriers that did not exist in other humans. That is why he took the specimen recently. However, it revealed some…anomalies."

"There was something wrong with the fetus?" I asked.

"No, just the opposite. Aro already knew Bella was special because she could block our gifts, but he only saw her potential as a vampire. He never imagined—_none_ of us imagined…"

"What? Spit it out, for Christ's sake!"

"The fetus Aro took had the wolf gene, but it was not like the blood sample Carlisle got from Seth," the parasite explained. "It was…different, more complex, or…if it were human, one would say it was genetically superior in both intellect and physical ability. Your unborn child would have had a gift, like Alice or I do, but as a wolf. Your children now likely have similar traits."

"My kids are going to phase?" I questioned, concern brimming at the curse they were subjected to because of me.

"Jacob, think about what this means," he continued. "Your kind is immune to our venom, your blood is fatal to us, and now your children will become wolves far superior to the present pack, with abilities unknown to anyone. Do you see the threat this poses to the existence of our kind?"

"And this news was so urgent you had to come to _my_ _home_ unannounced?" I barked.

"Granted, it could have waited, but there is some urgency, as Aro's plans have a more immediate target now, namely you and your family."

"Exactly how _immediate_ is 'immediate'? Someone mentioned years ago that these Italians looked at time differently."

"Immediate—as in _now_," the bloodsucker explained. "What was once a plan that spanned generations has been accelerated to obliterate your entire family, including your sisters, and Aro cares not whether it will look suspicious."

"My _sisters_?" This was bad. How was I going to protect _them_? One didn't even live on the continent!

"And don't forget your children, Bella, and her parents, too," the leech added.

"Why her _parents_?" What did they want with Charlie and Renée?

"They can have children," he replied with a shrug.

"I don't see Charlie screwing around on Sue," I muttered, knowing more about Sue than I should because of Leah. Frankly, I doubted Charlie would be alive if he stepped out on his marriage. "And Renée… She's what, forty-five?" Of course, if she were as fertile as Bella… I saw the smelly ice pick flinch. Nice to know my wife's _fertility_ made him uncomfortable. For good measure, I let my mind drift to the night Trevor was conceived.

"Jacob, I have already lost," he whispered woefully. "Could you _attempt_ to be a gracious winner?"

"You kissed my wife!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. One thing about Forks: there were a lot of forests and no people around.

"A stolen kiss is nothing compared to what you have," he replied, defeated. "I would give up _everything_ to live your life for one day."

What a load of crock. He couldn't _begin_ to understand what real life was like. He had never lived a real life as an adult.

"You're right, but it doesn't make what I said untrue," he replied to my thoughts.

"What kind of timeline are we talking about here?" This was _not_ a conversation I wanted to be having right now—or ever. "And how far through my family tree is he looking?"

"He hasn't decided yet how far he'll be stretching through your line, but Embry will be included as one of the initial targets. Aro is making plans to send some of the guard out in a month."

"Embry? You mean his dad is…?"

"Aro doesn't know. He's merely being thorough. If Embry _is_ Billy's son, he'd be too closely linked to your gene pool to risk keeping alive. He is unsure if it's you, Bella, or the combination of the two of you that produced this anomaly, but he's not taking chances."

"What's a few extra lives, right?" I mumbled resentfully.

"We both know how the Volturi regar–"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow."

"I'm sorry, for today, Jacob, for bringing all this into your lives—for all of it."

"Sorry doesn't help, bloodsucker. And don't think I've forgotten about you assaulting my wife!" I shouted, hurling hatred into every word.

"All your bitterness and anger is nothing compared to the loneliness, regret, and envy I have and shall carry with me for eternity," he answered quietly. "If you killed me, I would welcome it. It would be the only relief from the misery that is my life. I struggle to exist, only to protect Bella."

"Argh!" I yelled, knocking down a tree. I knew it was true. I knew because I would have been equally pathetic in his place. It was what prevented me from calling him a loser.

"I will protect her, Jacob, with or without your cooperation," he added.

"What the _hell_ do I have to do to get you out of our lives?" I screamed into his face as I grabbed his shirt.

"You have to keep her safe," the leech stated bluntly.

"She would never have _been_ in danger if she had never known _you_!" I shouted back accusingly.

"I regret that more than anything else I've ever done," he murmured, more to himself than to me. "We are so sorry for bringing all of this here, Jacob."

"Save your apologies for someone who cares," I replied. "How the hell did you parasites ever let _them_ become so big and powerful in the first place?" I asked, pissed off more than usual—and that was quite a bit—at every vampire that walked the earth. "What's the point in having them around? They don't actually do anything beneficial for you!"

"They uphold our laws," he responded casually, shrugging his shoulders.

"What laws? You're murderers!"

"Jacob, we–"

"Don't give me your shit about being 'vegetarian'," I cut in. "You're killers, and you know it! How many have _you_ personally killed?" He looked at me but didn't answer. "Yeah, like most vegetarians, you weren't born one."

"The Volturi exist so we can. They keep our world hidden from humanity."

"What for?" I questioned. "What's the point? What can anyone do to get rid of any of you?"

"We are vastly outnumbered by humanity. There was a time when we were hunted, and while we hold many advantages, you know as well as I do that we are not indestructible."

"All of you need to crawl back into the hole you came from!" I threw out in frustration.

I paced, kicking up dirt as I did so, angry with him, the situation, and the world in general. He looked away, deep in thought.

"Perhaps that _is_ our only solution," he announced.

"What is? Did I miss something? Did I subliminally think something?"

"You said it aloud. Perhaps we need to expose the Volturi, to force them to disband and go into hiding," he clarified.

"How the hell do we do that without being institutionalized?" I asked. "Or worse, being exposed, too?"

"I don't have the answer to that. This was _your_ thought, not mine. We need to speak to the others. We have very little time to come up with a solution."

"This is _bullshit_!" I cried loudly. "I want to be a regular guy—a regular _husband_—who gives the asshole that kissed his wife a black eye!"

"I promise, Jacob, if I'm still alive after all this, you may do whatever you wish to me. My life will have no value once I know Bella will be safe."

_I'm holding you to that, leech._

Teenaged Dracula scurried away to his daddy while I stomped back into the house. When would all this end?

She opened the door before I could place my hand on the handle.

"Jake, I'm so–"

"Don't apologize. I don't want to hear it," I grumbled, making my way in. I walked past her and flopped down on the couch.

"Did Charlie get the kids today?" I asked. I wasn't used to being around on a weekday, but I had a few days between jobs that I had hoped would be spent fixing things around the house. It appeared that would have to wait while I saved us from annihilation.

"Yes, he took them to their place in La Push since it's Friday. Did you want me to ask him to bring them home?"

"No, it's fine. You should probably rest some more. It hasn't been that long since your surgery," I muttered, hating the benign nature of our exchange but cringing at the thought of bringing up the elephant in the room. I was tired of it all. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, thinking of what to say next.

Bella came over and sat down next to me, leaning into my body and resting her head on my arm. She had just come out of the shower, and her hair was still wet, smelling strongly of strawberries.

"Serena's gone down for her nap, and I'm glad you're home," she murmured as she pressed her body into me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

The palm of her hand moved down my chest and slipped underneath my shirt. Her cool fingers on my bare skin sent my heart racing. A lump formed in my throat as she moved onto my lap, straddling me. I acted on instinct, without thinking, as desire and desperation incited me on. I reached out and slipped my hands beneath her top.

She pulled it off in one quick motion and then bent forward to hungrily kiss my neck.

My breathing became labored. My anger, sorrow, doubt, and love mingled together, making my heart ache even while it pounded with lust. I grabbed Bella's hair and pulled her face away from my neck so I could assail hers with my lips. I sucked and nibbled, filled with urgency and need.

Her fingers reached down, undid my pants, and slid under the waistband of my boxers. I wanted to resist. I wanted to tell her I hated her for what she had done, that I would never forgive this betrayal, but I couldn't. Not because it was only a kiss, or because he had initiated it. It was because nothing was _only_ where Edward was concerned. It was because I could never turn my back on her. I was tied to her, dependent on her for my very existence. I was a prisoner to my need for her.

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><p><em>One of my stories, Ascent from Darkness, was featured for Under the Radar at Twi Fic Central! If you haven't read it yet, it's only seventeen chapters long and is (in my opinion) my best work to-date.<em>

_You can view the article for this, along with what other readers have said (including audreyii-fic!), at:_

_reviews(dot)twificcentral(dot)com/2012/03/under-the-radar/under-the-radar-ascent-from-darkness-by-light4dawn_

_Next update will be on the regular update day: Tuesday, March 20th! If you are kind enough to leave me a review, I will try my best to answer those that are submitted right away. Others will be responded to once I return from my trip. Thanks!_


	8. Chapter 7: Imprisoned

_I'm crossing my fingers and hoping readers are checking for updates today. Fanfiction(dot)net is not working very well, and update notices are not being sent. If you don't mind, could you spread the word?_

_I would like to thank **iamtwilightobsessed (MP)** for pre-reading this chapter._

_I also cannot post without extending loads of gratitude toward **JaspersDestiny**. She has a great eye for detail, knows every grammar rule, and has enough patience to teach me what she knows! My one hope (right now) is that all my pestering emails won't leave her unemployed!_

_In case you need a re-cap (it has been over a week after all), last chapter Jacob found out Edward and Bella had kissed. While phased, and outdoors, Edward and Jacob had a confrontation without incurring any injuries. Once Jake returned home, Bella attempted to make up for her indiscretion by expressing her affection for him physically. Jake gave in because he was powerless to resist her._

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 — Imprisoned<strong>

The baby started crying, waking Bella from her catnap. She had been lying on my chest, naked, while my fingers absentmindedly traced circles on her back.

"Love you," she whispered. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and got up.

"Stay, I'll get her," I said, reaching for Bella's arm. "You shouldn't be running around too much."

"She needs to be nursed. I'll be careful," she replied as she pulled on her pants and shirt haphazardly.

I looked around the living room at my clothes strewn about. The sofa cushions were scattered on the floor, and the coffee table was askew. It smelled like sex.

My will and strength had been sucked out of me, as had some of my anger. Bella had always brought peace with her touch, smothering the fire of my anger. In the past, this had been welcomed, and I often sought her out to comfort me. Today, the relief of days past had turned to shackles denying me the will to restore my wounded pride. How was she able to tie me down in this way when I had never imprinted on her?

Sure, Sam, Jared, and even Paul found it nearly impossible to get angry with their wives, but they had imprinted. It was the behavior that all of us had accepted as normal when imprinting tied one of us to a woman. With Bella, it was different. I had _chosen_ her. Shouldn't that mean I could choose to be angry with her, even hold a grudge, if the situation called for it?

I let out a loud sigh, the realization of my situation clear as day to me. I got up slowly and picked up my clothes in slow motion. I _had_ to talk about what had happened between her and Edward. If I let this go, it would weaken my resolve even more.

Of course, making the decision wasn't the same as actually doing it. Waiting to talk about it would make it seem as though I were picking a fight over a situation that had been resolved. Bringing it up right away would make me look like an asshole. As far as she knew, this had been make-up sex. Getting upset about Edward would make it clear I hadn't _actually_ made-up, even if I had reaped the rewards. I was contemplating how—and when—to have the conversation when the phone rang. It stirred me from my thoughts.

"Jake, can you get that?" Bella called from upstairs. Her voice was quiet, so as not to startle the baby. She knew I'd hear anyway.

"Sure, sure," I called up and reached for the phone. "Hello?" I answered.

"Jake, it's Charlie. You're home early," he noted in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm starting a new job at the plant south of La Push," I replied. "I have a few days off between jobs."

"That's great timing. I'm glad there's someone home to give Bella a hand," Charlie said. "Listen, Sue was wondering if it'd be okay for the kids to eat dinner here and stay over, since it's Friday. I'm going fishing with your dad tomorrow, and I thought it'd be nice to have them with us."

"You're welcome to do whatever you want with your grandchildren, Charlie. I trust you, but I don't think you're going to catch too many fish with those two around."

"Heck, we're just going to fish off the pier! We'll make it a learning experience for them. It wouldn't be right for those kids not to know how to fish, what with me and Billy as granddads." I could almost _hear_ his beaming smile through the phone. "Will Bella be all right having Trevor eat here? Sue's real careful, and she knows what to–"

"Don't worry about it, Charlie. I trust you, and I'll talk to Bells about it. I appreciate this. Seems like the two of us haven't had a moment to ourselves in ages."

"I know, Jake," he said with concern. "You've been working too hard, and that drive…well, I'm glad you got a job closer to home. It's good news. _Real_ good."

"Thanks, Charlie. I'll come by and get them tomorrow afternoon. Will that be okay?"

"Yup, that'll be great!"

"Hey, thanks for picking Lola and Trevor up from school again today. It's been a big help for Bella during her recovery. I would have done it myself but…"

"Not another word, Jake. Bella's still my little girl, and taking care of those two isn't a chore. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, sure. See you."

Well, that gave me the opportunity I needed. Now, I had to figure out what to say.

"Jake, who was that?" Bella asked. She slowly made her way down the stairs holding the baby in her arms. I raced over and took Serena from her before she could take another step. I muttered some excuse about the doctor, saying how she wasn't supposed to lift anything heavy, even though I knew she didn't believe me. "So? The phone call?"

"It was Charlie. They're keeping Trevor and Lola until tomorrow," I said nonchalantly. "He wants to take them fishing with my dad tomorrow."

"Oh, Jake, I don't know… Sue's pretty good, but she hasn't planned in advance for Trevor to eat there," Bella responded, her eyebrows furrowing. They met where that little wrinkle formed whenever she worried.

"He'll be fine, Bells. Sue's had us over plenty of times. She knows what she's doing, and she's a nurse!"

"I guess… Does Charlie know where Trevor's EpiPen is?" She didn't sound convinced.

"Bells, this isn't their first day with our son. They know where _everything_ is, okay?" I tried to reassure her. "Look, between Sue, the _nurse_, and granddad Charlie, the _cop_ with the police cruiser, he'll be fine." I smiled at her, rubbing my hand along her arm. I felt her body relax as she exhaled. The tension in her muscles dissipated with my touch.

"Okay…" she finally agreed. "What did you want to do for dinner? I guess it'll just be the two of us."

Perhaps her need for me mirrored mine for her. Of course, if we were equals, wouldn't that mean I would have done the same thing in her place? But I wouldn't have. I could never be overcome with any desire strong enough to betray her.

"Let's get a pizza and eat after Serena's down for the night. I'd like to talk," I said.

"Oh." She knew what I wanted to talk about. "Jake, I really am sorry. I don't know–"

"Later, okay? We still have a baby to take care of, all right?"

Bella nodded and walked glumly into the kitchen while I looked after Serena.

The rest of what remained of the day was spent apart. Bella kept busy with chores while I took care of Serena in between feedings. Eventually, the baby went down for the night shortly after I got home with our pizza.

We began our meal in uncomfortable silence. Bella ate slowly, taking small bites. I wolfed down two slices, not meeting her eyes once. When I looked up briefly to grab my third piece, she began to speak.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt earlier…you know, when you and Edward…" she trailed off and took another bite of pizza, rather than finish her sentence.

"Why do you assume _I'd_ be the one to get hurt?" I asked bitterly.

"That's not what I meant!" she answered defensively. "I was merely voicing concern for you."

"Yeah, I'm sure _that's_ what you meant," I mumbled under my breath.

"Why are you being like this?" Had she _really_ asked that? I dropped my pizza onto my plate and glared at her.

"How would _you_ like to come home to find _me_ kissing _my_ ex-girlfriend, whom I almost killed myself over?" I asked. "Oh, wait, I don't _have_ an ex-girlfriend because _you're_ the only one I've ever loved!" I added.

"I don't know what else to say, Jake. If I could do it all over again, I'd never–"

"Give me a break!" I cut in. "Since when did you become so great at resisting him?"

"What are you talking about?" she shot back.

"You know what I'm talking about!" I shouted.

"No one controls me! I'm not a mindless puppet!"

"You're not helping your cause, Bells."

"I already told you I was sorry. What is it you want me to say, Jake? Tell me, and I'll say it!"

"How about 'I don't love him—I only love you'? Would that be too far a stretch for you?"

"You should _already know_ that!"

"If that's true then why the fuck did you _kiss_ him?" I barked.

"_He_ kissed _me_!"

"_You_ didn't stop him!"

"He's a vampire!"

"He would have stopped if you'd asked him to!"

Bella's fingers went to her temples, and she took a deep breath and exhaled. Her eyes were closed when she lifted her head up again. My too sensitive eyes picked up the subtle, nervous twitch in her eyelids before they opened.

"It just _happened_, Jake," she whispered. "I didn't have time to think. The whole situation caught me off guard. He came here to ask Charlie where I was… He didn't know this was where I lived."

"What, his family wasn't available?"

"He hadn't told them he had returned yet. He didn't want them to know he was looking for me because they told him not to."

"What about the midget? She can't see him either now?"

"I don't know, Jake! I didn't have time to ask anything." She ran her fingers through her hair and then grabbed my hands from across the table. "It's _you_ I love, Jake, _only_ you. It's _always_ been you. This… It was nothing—a mistake. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

"But you still love him, don't you?"

"I _care_ about him, but I don't _love_ him, not the way I love you. I let go of him a long time ago, remember?"

She smiled at me, but I looked away before asking in a quiet voice, "Do you regret it?"

"No, never."

I wasn't sure if she was telling me the truth. It wasn't often that her face was difficult to read, but it seemed that way to me now.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I'd never risk losing you and the children for some high school fantasy," she added.

"That's it, isn't it? It's the kids that are keeping you with me!" My hands retreated, stung by bitterness. "What if we didn't have children? Would I still be the one you'd be with?"

"You're being ridiculous!" Her soft tone was gone. "I'm not having this conversation anymore! There's nothing more I can say, Jake! It was a mistake, and that's _all_ it was!"

"I don't understand, Bella," I was determined not to let the subject go. "I want to, but I can't imagine _anything_ that would compel me to kiss someone else. I could _never_ make a mistake like that!"

"Really, Jake? You can't think of _any_ situation? Because _I_ can!"

Fuck, we were back to _that_ again.

"You know, Quil hasn't seen that kid since your birthday dinner, and he's functioning like a normal human being," I said defensively, not entirely convinced myself.

"'Normal' isn't normal for Quil, and you know it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I knew _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"Jake, I'm not an idiot. When was the last time you heard him tell a dirty joke? Has he mourned the loss of Jessica? Does he even mention the girl he was _engaged _to a week ago?"

I silently fumed in response.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she added knowingly.

"Quil knows it's fucked up, and he's left it behind him," I offered. "If _he_ can do it, _I_ certainly can. That's assuming I imprint at all, which I won't!"

"Don't give me that! I've overheard you and Embry talking. I know what Quil's thinking just as much as you do," she threw at me. "He's waiting for that _child_ to grow up! He's waiting for her to become legal. How is _that_ normal? Imagine if a grown man were waiting around for _our_ nine-year-old daughter to become old enough to legally have sex with her?"

"You're purposely making my friend out to be some fiend," I muttered unconvincingly, fighting the urge to shudder.

"I don't have to try very hard." Her words were laced with sarcasm.

"Bells, he's trying. It's not easy," I responded seriously, my voice quieter and no longer booming with anger.

"I'm sure it's not easy," she agreed before adding, "The Quil I knew—that we _all_ knew—would have _never_ considered anything as disturbing as this. He's become a different person."

"That doesn't mean _I'd_ become someone different. Look at Sam, Jared, and Paul. They're pretty much the same as before."

"They're _with_ their imprints."

There was no winning this argument. If I fought the imprint, I'd end up being a different person completely. If I gave in to the imprint, I'd end up abandoning Bella. And I couldn't deny it'd never happen to me anymore. She wasn't willing to believe that wholeheartedly.

I had my hair in my fists—wanting to punch a hole in the wall—when the phone rang. I ran and answered it before it woke the baby.

"Jacob?" a familiar, tinkling voice asked.

"Yeah," I answered dully. "This better be important."

"I'm sorry about Edward," she began. "He made the decision to visit Bella while in Volterra. I couldn't see him for the same reason I haven't been able to see the Volturi's decisions."

"Whatever, I don't care," I blurted out, annoyed. "That better not be the reason you called and interrupted my family time." What did I care if I lied to her? At least her dumbass brother wasn't around to snitch on me.

"Edward told us what he learned," she continued, "but there is one piece of information he hasn't told you about because, according to him, you weren't in a receptive frame of mind."

"I'm not much better now," I grumbled.

"Jacob? May I speak to Bella, please? I know you'll hear everything we say anyway. This way Bella will find out at the same time, and perhaps she can do something to help you digest the information without getting overly agitated."

_Agitated_? Something told me _that_ didn't bode well.

"Fine," I conceded, handing Bella the phone. "Here, it's your _best friend_," I sneered.

"My best friend is Leah," she replied perfunctorily, taking the phone from me.

"Hello, Alice. It's nice to hear from you again," she said into the receiver, far more formally than was usual for her. "I wish it were under different circumstances."

"Yes, me too, Bella," Alice answered regretfully. "Can you make sure Jacob is close-by holding your hand, or whatever will keep him calm?"

I felt anxiety rise in me, wondering what more could be added to the already heaping plate of shit the Cullens had placed before me.

"Of course," Bella said. She reached out for me and I took her hand. I tried not to let my face reveal the instant comfort I felt at her touch.

"Edward found out why I can't see the Volturi's decisions anymore," Alice revealed. "They have a prisoner that phased while in captivity nearly two years ago. That's why Aro hasn't visited us."

"Prisoner? What prisoner?" I demanded. "There's no one from the tribe that isn't accounted for, not even a missing or runaway kid in the last few years–"

"It's not someone who was living on the reservation, Jacob," Alice replied.

"I don't get it… Only those within the bloodlines–" Bella began.

"What about Embry?" Alice interjected. "None of you knew he had the gene before he phased."

"That's because his paternity isn't known," I answered without bothering to raise my voice or turn my head toward the receiver. Sometimes supernatural abilities made mundane complications disappear. Too bad it didn't do the same for bigger ones.

"That's right," Alice agreed smugly. "Did you ever think there were others like him? Certainly, Aro believes it."

"I guess it's possible, but I'm pretty sure you'd need a fairly strong genetic link to phase. Most of the tribe is probably related to one of the previous packs, at least remotely, and _they_ haven't all phased." Why was I having this debate with Alice? Why was _she_ having this debate with me?

"Their prisoner has a strong genetic link. He's like Embry," Alice replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked. It was bad enough thinking my own father may have cheated on my mom. I didn't need to find out I had _another_ possible half-brother out there.

"The Volturi have discovered a boy whose paternity points to one of your fathers."

It was exactly what I didn't want to hear.

"Tell me you know which one of us has a long lost brother." Of course, I only wanted to know if it confirmed it _wasn't_ Dad.

"He's Sam's half-brother," the leech answered, much to my relief. I tried not to exhale right at that moment. I didn't want her to know I was worried it might have been my dad. "Sam's father got a woman pregnant some years after leaving him and his mother."

"How were the Volturi able to kidnap this kid without you knowing about it?" I demanded. It seemed her damn "talent" was proving to be less and less useful as time went by.

"One of the Volturi's patrols came upon him by accident," she replied. "The patrol brought him to Volterra in hopes of gaining favor with Aro."

"Shit! How am I going to tell Sam _this_?" He had a brother he never knew existed, and now the kid had been kidnapped and had phased for the first time, alone, in a den of vampires. _Great_. "How old…?" I asked, even though I knew the answer would make my heart bleed more for this boy.

"He was fourteen when he was taken, which would make him sixteen now," she answered.

The kid was the same age Seth had been when _he'd_ phased for the first time, but this boy was a prisoner without a single friendly face to turn to.

"We have to get him, Alice," Bella pleaded.

"He can't be left there to rot," I hissed, "to become the…" That's when the sick truth became clear to me. "They're using him as a guinea pig, aren't they?"

"Yes, Jacob."

Leah was right; this was genocide. Our enemy had no room for conscience or morality.

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><p><em>Thank you for waiting out my absence while on vacation, and I hope this chapter was worth it! A review would be much appreciated (as always), especially since statistics for hits and visitors on fanfiction(dot)net is down. For three days now, it keeps showing me the number of hits and visitors I've had to all my stories combined as zero! Sigh.<em>


	9. Chapter 8: Opening the Door

_Another wolf, but what has become of him? How will the Cullens and the pack save Sam's brother, and the rest of humanity? Their plan unfolds here in this chapter._

_Thank you iamtwilightobsessed (MP) for pre-reading this chapter, even in its unfinished state, to provide me with valuable input._

_Thank you JaspersDestiny for beta'ing my frustratingly rough chapter full of careless errors without making a peep about it. She really is a gem!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Opening the Door<strong>

"Look, not only do we have to tell Sam, but I think we need to do something else," I repeated for about the hundredth time. The whole damn coven was together now, with me, in one fucking hotel room. The smell was literally killing me.

"We can't go to Italy and imagine there's even a remote chance of coming out alive," the telepath replied.

"What about that plan you mentioned—the one I made you think about?" I asked, recalling our conversation during the altercation that seemed to have happened a hundred years ago.

"We haven't had time to work it out," the jerk tossed out dismissively.

"Fuck working it out! It's time to _do_, not talk! We've been doing nothing but talking for too long!"

"No, Jacob, it's too early for that!" he said in a voice that sounded far too parental.

I was going to shoot him down with some smart remark when the dwarf asked, "What was he thinking, Edward?"

I put my palm up in front of Edward's face. He could talk to _that_ while I answered her question.

"I wanted to call the FBI, the CIA, whatever the Italian version of it is, and whoever else we could think of."

"They can't fight the Volturi…" she began. Man, for someone who had graduated from high school a dozen times, she was friggin' slow.

"Who says they're going to fight? Isn't their number one priority to remain incognito?" I said sarcastically.

"Jacob, you can't be sure that's what they'll–" the mind reader retorted, in an attempt to shoot me down once more.

Again, I gave him the universal sign for "talk to the hand".

"No one else here seems to have a better idea. The longer we wait, the more likely it'll be that Sam's brother's going to be a goner, and it's just more time we're giving the Volturi to do whatever the fuck it is they're trying to do!"

"It's too risky."

"What fucking plan isn't risky?" No one answered. "Yeah, my point exactly."

"We'll be sending all those agents to their deaths." I glared at Edward, willing him to burn to ash before my eyes. No such luck.

"Not necessarily," Carlisle added. Finally, someone was on my side, even if it _was_ a vamp. "Jacob is right; the Volturi do not want to reveal themselves to the world. At the very least, this will make them go into hiding. They'll lose some resources and be forced to break up into smaller groups."

"There's no guarantee–" Oh, my fucking God! The imbecile was interrupting his coven's leader now!

"No plan comes with guarantees," I butted in, rolling my eyes.

_Yeah, asshole, I'm rolling them at you!_ I thought as I glared at him snidely.

"These agents are going to have a paper trail behind them. Having them disappear would be a huge deal, something that would be difficult to hide," Barbie's boyfriend added.

"They might kill Sam's brother to get rid of any evidence of an abduction." Did this guy look at a full glass and see it as five percent empty? What the hell did Bella ever see in him?

"I'd rather be dead than kept alive as a prisoner to a bunch of leeches using me for their sick experiments!" I shouted at him.

"I don't think that's your decision to make!" he yelled back.

"We can't exactly ask _his_ opinion," I spat. "And this isn't just about him. We have the rest of humanity to think about!"

"I must agree with Jacob regarding this," Carlisle interjected, coming between Edward and me. "As abhorrent as it is for me to consider sending someone to their death, there is a greater danger. The threat of discovery would, at the very least, fracture the Volturi, sending them into smaller clusters and making them easier to defeat."

"I think we should let Sam know before doing anything," the voodoo mood ring said.

"Yeah, you're right. Who's going to do that?" I asked. All eyes turned to me, of course. Being Alpha sucked shit. "You do realize I'm the youngest one here, right? Don't I get a break because of that?"

There were a few shrugs and many sympathetic stares. None of it indicated someone else would be volunteering.

* * *

><p>Again, I made the trip up to the Makah reservation, but this time I asked to meet at Rachel and Paul's place. Paul was at work, but Rachel was home. I was counting on her to have my back when Sam flew off the handle, which I knew he would. What guy wouldn't?<p>

"Jacob, we don't see enough of you these days," Rachel said, greeting me with a hug.

"I know, Rach," I replied, wrapping my arms around my sister. "You should come visit us more. The kids are getting big."

"Yeah, Dad keeps telling me. We've been so busy around here, and…well, some days, Jake, it's hard. Paul told me you know about us…trying…"

"Yeah, sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"You already are. I'm just glad there's something _to_ be done!" she added. "So, Sam's not here yet. You're early. You going to tell me first?" She knew me well.

"Yeah, I wanted you prepared because it's going to send Sam into a rage. I know he'll hold it together with you here, but I also need you to be the voice of reason. I'm not exactly the best person for keeping him calm."

"Why didn't you ask Emily?"

"It's kind of personal and family related. She's a great person, but she's so tied to Sam… Well, you know how it is." Rachel nodded. Being an imprint was one of the few things my sister had in common with Emily. As much as Emily would want to help Sam, she'd be first and foremost compelled to feel as he felt, support all of his decisions, and possibly flow with the wave of his rage. "Anyhow, I wanted an objective third party, and not only are you a good candidate, but I trust you. That all right with you?"

"Sure, sure," she replied, giving me a hug—something I hadn't had from her in a long time.

Rachel and I had a few minutes to catch up on our adult lives before Sam came over. Once he arrived, the mood in the room changed immediately.

Sam knew I had bad news. To say it was worse than expected would be a gross understatement. He was up in a heartbeat, ready to destroy something, anything.

"Sam, sit down. Remember, Jake's just the messenger," Rachel said gently, taking his arm. All those years with Paul had prepared her well. I saw her rubbing his back with her other hand. If she weren't imprinted on Paul, I would have raised an eyebrow at this, but it did the job. Sam took a deep breath and sat back down on his chair. Rachel took both his hands in hers before she spoke again. "Sam? Jake's here because you need to know, and there are decisions to be made. You're the only family we know of that this boy has. He needs you to speak for him right now."

The rage in Sam's eyes began to fade, and he turned his head in Rachel's direction. "_Boy_?" he asked. I had only said he was his half brother, not having had the chance to fill in any details. "How old is he?" he asked.

"He's about sixteen. He was closer to fourteen when he was taken," I answered somberly.

"Shit! He was the same age Seth was when _he_ phased! He was all alone!" Sam's head fell as he wept. I had never seen Sam cry, not even in his thoughts, not even when he remembered breaking Leah's heart.

"The thing is, Sam, the only feasible plan we have might get him killed," I began. "Our plan is to put the Volturi at risk of being discovered by the human world, forcing them to disband and hide. This would give the Cullens, and us, a decent chance at beating them, but the Volturi might kill him before we get there."

Sam didn't need to look up for me to know he had understood every word I'd said and every word I'd left unsaid.

"It'd be better for him to die with a chance of escape than to go on living a prisoner to them," Sam replied.

I had always known this would be his decision.

"Okay, I'll let the Cullens know," I mumbled, getting up.

"No, Jake, I want to do it. I want to be part of _all_ of it," he interjected, grabbing my arm. "It's time we took charge of our own destiny."

Sam and I looked each other in the eye, once more the brothers we had been so many years ago, no longer feeling the division that had separated us for so long. I nodded, and he patted me on the arm.

"So, who's going to call the FBI?" Rachel chirped in, tossing us a phone. I ended up catching it.

"Gee, Rach, I haven't thought that far ahead," I answered. "You think they'll believe me if I begin with, 'Hi, I'm a werewolf, and I'd like to report a vampire coven that abducted an American citizen?'" I sneered.

"Come on," Sam said, taking the phone and putting it back in the holder. "We may be taking care of our own destiny, but it wouldn't hurt to consult the putrid parasites. Are they still in Forks?"

"I haven't got a clue. But they did give me a 'bat phone'. I'm sure they can be wherever we want them to be in no time." I rolled my eyes. "Never thought I'd have a bunch of vampires at my beck and call," I grumbled, taking the cell phone out of my pocket.

* * *

><p>I was right; they made themselves available for us, showing up at Leah's almost at the same time Sam and I got there. The whole damn crew showed up. I thought <em>we<em> were supposed to be the pack, not them.

Right away, they were all business, and none of them sat down. At least Carlisle made the effort to be polite.

"Thank you, Leah, but we have no need to sit, and we wouldn't want to take a seat someone else would appreciate more," he replied when she offered them a seat. "It won't make any of you feel uncomfortable if we remain standing, will it?"

"Hey, it's no skin off my back," I threw in, flopping down in the large armchair.

"My family and I have already done some preliminary research, and we had a back story prepared in the event this was the route you chose," Major Melancholy began. "Sam, we have your brother's name, birthdate, last known address, school records, and his various foster parent placements."

"Foster…? What about his mother?" Sam asked.

"She passed away when he was young. He had been in foster care for ten years prior to the abduction."

Sam's face turned red and his hands formed fists. I put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "It's okay, Sam. You had no idea. We'll get him back."

"Sam," Carlisle spoke, "you'll have to be the one to make the phone call. No one else has a reason to. For the moment, he's been reported as a runaway youth. We've created a paper trail to make it appear you've been searching for him. Your father passed away a few months ago…" Carlisle added hesitantly. Sam's face was unreadable and still as stone. "We've created phone records from his home to yours. This way, you can claim you found out about Joshua's existence from him."

"His name's Joshua?" Sam asked. Carlisle nodded. "And my father knew about him all this time?" Again, Carlisle nodded silently. "He threw him into foster care rather than take in his own child or even tell me about him?"

"He was not well, Sam. Your father had a mental breakdown years ago and–"

"I don't give a shit!" Sam shouted. "What kind of a monster does that to his own kid?"

"Sam," Leah whispered, putting her hand on his arm, "he's gone, but Joshua isn't. Let's focus on _him_, okay?"

Sam took a few deep breaths and sat back down, silent.

"Here's all the information we have about your brother," Carlisle continued, handing a thick envelope to Sam. "We can give you some privacy to look at the file, if you'd like, and go over what to say when you make the phone call," he offered.

"No, it's okay. You got all this for me, and I don't want to keep anything from Jacob and Leah. We'll look through it now and get this call made right away. The sooner, the better."

It was the saddest story ever. I was barely able to believe it was true and not some excerpt from a novel. I saw Leah's eyes become shiny with moisture as she peered over Sam's shoulder, just as mine did.

"I can make the call any time, but I don't understand how this is going to get anyone out of Italy," Sam said.

"It won't," the mind reader answered, "but it will make it easier to account for us recovering him, should that be the outcome. We can't leave anything that can be questioned later."

"How are we going to smoke out the royal coven then?" I asked.

"Our family has created numerous anonymous reports pointing to a major terrorist cell in Volterra, within the same buildings they inhabit," Jasper responded. "Many have been backdated to create a mounting trail. It was difficult with such time constraints, but with a few phone calls we can get it all planted in the right place."

It seemed like such an easy thing to do. Why hadn't anyone thought of it before?

"They were never regarded as the enemy," the mind reader replied to my unvoiced query.

"What did Jacob ask?" Rosalie demanded.

He ignored her, continuing with, "The Volturi have always been the purveyors of law and order. For centuries, they have averted and stopped many destructive waves perpetrated by our kind."

"Don't do that! It's rude!" Vampire Barbie said, hitting Edward on the arm.

Finally, someone else was complaining about what an irritating piece of shit he was! Maybe she _wasn't_ so bad after all.

"Part of the reason, Jacob," Carlisle interjected, "is because exposing any one of us puts _all_ of us in danger."

"Danger of what—losing your food supply?" Sam spat back.

"Life was not great hundreds of years ago, when we were openly hunted and had to hide, but humans were no match against us. It was more of an inconvenience and decline in quality of life than a real threat. Now, it's better that no one believes in vampires. Humans are far more equipped to destroy us. Aro is all too aware of this, so he wants to keep the seeds of doubt alive."

"Blah, blah, blah. We've heard it all before," Leah replied, exasperated. "Save the sob story for someone who cares. We need to get Joshua now!"

"Yeah, let's get these damn phone calls done and over with!" Sam said in agreement.

It felt weird fighting our enemies with phones and computers. Anyone could have done it. There was no need for our supernatural abilities for this. What was the point of our existence if all it took was just a few punches on a keypad?

After numerous emails, phone calls, and God only knew what else to corroborate, link, and bring attention to the groundwork that had been done, all was silent. The Cullens were standing around doing nothing. By nothing, I literally meant _nothing_. They weren't moving, breathing, or even blinking. Somehow, saying we were okay with them not sitting down led to them discarding all efforts to act human.

"Carlisle, perhaps we can try to maintain a more natural presence so the others are–" Edward began.

"Stop doing that!" I said, interrupting him mid-sentence. "Even your damn 'sister' asked you to stop!"

"I was only attempting to put you at ease."

"I don't need to be put at ease. Why don't we just plan our next step?"

"Our next step is to wait," he answered dully.

"Are you telling me you want us to go about like nothing's happened while my only brother is being experimented on by bloodsuckers?" Sam yelled.

"Hopefully, Sam, it won't be for long," Carlisle said.

"_Five minutes_ is too long!" Sam hollered. "In fact, it's already been too long! The kid is sixteen, and I've only just found out he exists!"

"Sam, we're going to get Joshua, okay?" Leah grabbed Sam's arm, pulling on it so he'd turn to look at her. "I promise, but first we have to make sure he has a fighting chance of getting out of this alive." She turned to Carlisle and asked him, "How are we going to know when the wait is over?"

"When I can see something," Crystal Ball Vampire answered. "If I can see a decision any of the Volturi make, it'll mean they've broken up."

"Or they've killed my brother!"

"That is a possibility, but you knew the risks," Edward shot at Sam.

"You're a fucking hundred years old, and you have to say, 'I told you so'? Grow up, asshole!" I shot back at him.

_Maybe you need to get laid to grow up. _Edward's face tightened, but he wouldn't turn to acknowledge my thoughts. _Oh…look, it's that face again, the one where your lips disappear and your mouth becomes that one straight line. _He stared me down now, glowering. _Yeah, prick, I'm talking to you! Huh, imagine that! Sometimes the mind reading's not so bad._

I expected some retort, but he turned and walked out of the house!

"What the…?"

"We need to say our goodbyes," Carlisle announced. "It is time we returned to our home before the Volturi notice us missing, and all of you need to go about your normal lives. We shall be in touch the moment Alice sees anything."

"But Joshua–"

"We're sorry, Sam. I wish there was more we could do right now, but we have the best odds of saving him if we wait until the time is right."

Carlisle was right, and we all knew it.

It wasn't long before the rest of them left, but at least they said goodbye first. Leah and Sam stayed a little longer. We went through Joshua's file again for a few minutes before Sam and I also left.

The following days seemed to drag on, with each day seemingly longer than the one preceding it. It wasn't until October that I received the call.

"Jacob?" It was Alice. "I saw the Volturi. Not Aro, but most of the others."

That meant our plan had worked; the Volturi had broken up. Aro being blind to Alice's visions also meant that Joshua was still alive.

"Okay, where are we going first?" I asked.

"Caius is with ten others, and they're on their way here, to us."

That was eleven against seven. From what I remembered, a lot of the Volturi had special abilities too. The Cullens didn't stand a chance against eleven, but I wasn't eager to offer up the lives of my brothers for them.

"How many are with Joshua?" It was the only thing I could come up with to avoid offering to help without sounding ungrateful for their help.

"Marcus has fled to Northern Canada, also with ten others, so unless they have recruited more members or suffered other casualties, there should be Aro and another ten left in Volterra."

"Do you have a plan to get him out of there yet?" I was hopeful, but I doubted that that problem had a solution yet.

"Nothing we all agree on. For now, we're going to wait for Caius to arrive, and we'll meet you at a rendezvous point in Canada afterwards. I've already sent ahead airline tickets and documentation for a few of you to travel there–"

"What do you mean a _few_? And exactly how are the seven of you going to take down eleven of the Volturi?"

"We have extended family coming to help us. There are five, and two of them have abilities, like me." That would be twelve of them, which were much better odds. "We need the rest of you to go to Italy. Once things have been resolved here, some of us will meet with the group in Canada while the rest go on ahead to Volterra."

"I don't understand… Why are we splitting up?" Sure, we'd probably be able to hold our own with even odds, but why risk it when we could obliterate them all together?

"Time is an issue. The authorities are moving faster than we anticipated. I'll explain in more detail when we meet in a few days."

The package arrived later that day. I don't know how they did it, but there was a passport for every single pack member. Five tickets were for Iqaluit, with directions for a rendezvous point in the middle of nowhere, as far as I could tell. Five other tickets went from Seattle to Florence, and another five used all sorts of flights to fly the first five from Iqaluit to Florence a day after us.

Sam and I were going to Italy with Collin, Brady, and Leah. The rest were going to Canada. Leah was not going to like being separated from her brother, but I knew why the Cullens had done this. They needed everybody focused on killing the Volturi, and we couldn't afford for her to be preoccupied protecting her brother. I sighed with resignation, knowing I'd be the one that would have to talk Leah into it. It was time. Seth was an adult, and a pretty powerful wolf. He wasn't a gangly pup with big paws anymore.

I held the airline tickets and forged passports in my hands, knowing this would be it. This was the moment that would determine what the rest of our lives would be like. Either the most powerful coven of vampires would be destroyed, leaving us with no more threats hanging over us, or we'd all die.

* * *

><p><em>Some of you may know, some of you may not, but the results for the Truly Anonymous Twilight One-shot Picture &amp; Prompt contest have come in! One of my entries, The Dark Man and the Pale Man won for Best AU Pack Fic. My other entry, Happily, Tragically, Bittersweet Ever After received an honorable mention. Both have been posted here if you're interested in reading them.<em>


	10. Chapter 9: Tour of Tuscan Tunnels

_The pack have split up and headed to destinations they have never visited before. Unfortunately, this is no holiday. _

_Thank you **JaspersDestiny** for beta'ing my chapters without uttering a peep about the messy, haphazard state they're in. Thank you also for always being thorough no matter how many things I've missed!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 — Tour of Tuscan Tunnels<strong>

Leaving Bella and the children alone and vulnerable was nearly impossible for me. I had to remind myself it had to be done to safeguard our future—that the danger would be at my destination, not in Forks. It wasn't until Bella spoke to me that I was able to take a breath. She reminded me that every wolf would be gone from Forks and La Push, which meant that Alice would finally see her, the children, and all those I loved who were left behind. Normally, I wouldn't trust a vampire to look out for my family, but I had to admit that Alice wouldn't let anything happen to Bella or the children if she could help it.

Leah, Sam, Collin, Brady, and I drove to the airport together confused. We had no way of contacting the Cullens, and we still didn't know the whole story. We flew in silence, too anxious to make small talk.

We got off the plane in New York and had to rush to catch our connecting flight. At the gate, we saw Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett waiting there for us. It was another eternity as we boarded the plane and found our seats. Once we were all settled in, we finally got the whole story.

Luckily, everyone's obnoxiously keen hearing meant we could speak under our breath, unheard by the other passengers around us. It was strange having conversations with people so close to us without making eye contact. Well, it was strange to us but not to the Cullens, it seemed. They acted like this was something they did on a regular basis. For all I knew, it was.

The story we got was that everything had happened quickly, which was why the Volturi had been caught off guard. They had brought in a "shipment" of people to feed upon right about the same time the surveillance had commenced. The authorities saw people going in and never leaving. This accelerated their investigation.

For whatever reason, the Volturi hadn't killed the people right away. They'd waited until the next day. If they hadn't, they would have heard the squad of men and women storming their compound. Someone would have noticed Gianna calling them over and over from the reception area. But that wasn't what happened. Everyone had been in a frenzy, feeding, as the agents swarmed the building. When Gianna—the Volturi's human lackey who manned reception—couldn't answer their questions adequately enough, they forced their way in. It wasn't until the last minute that someone heard them. There wasn't enough time to get away, and killing all of them wouldn't help because there were more waiting outside the building, and many others who were in constant communication with them. There was only one-way to preserve their secret: _hide_.

The bodies were haphazardly thrown into their incinerator as they divided and fled through the labyrinth of underground tunnels. Caius and Marcus, each with ten members of the guard, left the country. Aro and the others stayed, along with Joshua. It was believed they were hiding in an underground cavern beneath the main building.

The Cullens knew all this because the moment Alice detected Caius and Marcus, Edward flew to Italy to track down Gianna. She had been taken into custody, and Edward had been able to read her thoughts, learning everything she had seen and heard. It was then that we were called.

The Cullens and their "extended family" from Alaska had defeated Caius and his group only an hour before meeting us. Jasper, Alice, and three of the Alaskans were meeting up with the other guys in Canada. Edward was waiting for us in Italy. That meant, for now, there would be five vampires and five wolves to fight Aro and his estimated ten. We were slightly outnumbered, but some of the best fighters—namely, Sam, Edward, Emmett and me—were in our group.

Edward met us at the villa that the Cullens had rented in the surrounding countryside. Volterra was a small town, and all of us staying in one hotel would have attracted too much attention—especially in the fall, when the flow of tourists generally subsided.

Before we could all step through the front door, Edward began updating us. "Aro is there, and so is Joshua. You were right, Carlisle. He has most of the talent with him. They've recruited two others since we've last seen them, so there are thirteen in total." I guess we were more than "slightly" outnumbered now.

"They're special, aren't they?" Rosalie wasn't really asking. We all knew Aro wouldn't bother turning anyone unless there was something valuable to gain from him.

"Yes," Edward replied. "There are two females. One can become undetectable in every way except sight. She is able to move silently and suppress her scent. She was one of the vampires at the hospital in Forks that day, Jacob."

"That explains how they were able to get so close," I said bitterly.

"But there was a faint scent…" Leah added.

"It's not something she can keep up indefinitely, like my mind reading. It takes effort, but her ability appears to improve over time."

"What about the other one?" Sam asked.

"I haven't figured out what she can do. I have some impressions, but nothing concrete."

"Was she the other one who came to Forks?" I knew it didn't really matter, but I wanted to personally kill those two myself.

"No."

"Well, what _do_ you know about her so far?" I knew I shouldn't be blaming him for not knowing everything, but the situation we currently found ourselves in made it difficult for me to remain reasonable.

"She has taken the spot as the lead in the guard. It's curious… She's not a physical threat, from what I've been able to read. I would think in a time such as this, thinking about the talents of the guard would be foremost on their minds, but there are no thoughts about her ability."

"It must be something that cannot help their current situation," Carlisle said.

"Speaking of which, what the hell _is_ happening there?" Leah asked.

"The entire compound has been overrun with various international and national agencies. The area where Aro and his faction are hiding has yet to be discovered, and may never be. Currently, the authorities have discovered human remains from their last feed. Not everything was burned in the incinerator, and the ash has been sent to laboratories, where it has probably been discovered to be human remains."

"Any activities going on outside?"

"As far as I can tell, they're searching for current ownership and financials for the property."

"Ah, that will take some time. The Volturi took great efforts to ensure tracking down their holdings would be next to impossible."

"We did hit a bit of luck, though," Edward added.

"What do you mean?"

"Carlisle, you're aware of Aro's habit of collecting tokens from his larger acquisitions."

"Tokens?" I asked. "Do you mean like serial killers who take a souvenir from their victims?"

"Yes, similar to that, except in this case they are generally from humans he has turned specifically to add to his guard. He only keeps items from the most talented."

"How is this _lucky_ for us?" Sam made no effort to hide the bitterness from his voice.

"He had something of Joshua's, and it was recovered by the authorities."

"Unless it was a birth certificate, I don't know how they're going to put two and two together," I muttered.

"It was a Native American token made by his father shortly after his birth. The artwork on it is specific to the Quileutes, and the name Uley is engraved on the other side."

"This isn't good news! What if they call looking for me? How am I going to explain being in Italy?"

"All your identification is under aliases," Rosalie reminded him. "No one knows you've left the country."

"And I've already called your wife," Edward added. "I've instructed her about what to do should they call before your return."

"What now?" I wanted to get on with our plan and divert Sam's attention away from Emily having to take directions from a leech. "I mean, we can't exactly storm in there."

"Time is of the essence to ensure Joshua's retrieval," Edward began.

"No shit, Sherlock," Leah interjected. I elbowed her.

"Already, Aro has had thoughts of killing him," Edward continued, ignoring Leah's comment. "He has refrained because there is no place to dispose of the body adequately where he is, and he is still concerned about Alice finding him."

"Can we go in at night?" There had to be a way to get to them or else we wouldn't have come all the way here.

"There's surveillance twenty-four hours a day." So much for _that_ idea.

"Then what do we do?"

"I was hoping one of you could give the night crew a quick glimpse of the supernatural. Just enough to sow the seeds of doubt and distract them for a time."

"Exactly what did you have in mind for this 'glimpse'?"

"Run past them quickly so that you appear distorted and unclear, but slowly enough that they know you are not of their world."

"How come you need _us_? Any one of _you_ can do that."

"There are surveillance cameras everywhere. If we were filmed, it may be possible for us to be identified. You, on the other hand, would be unidentifiable once you have phased back."

"What if we leave a hair or something? Can't they track our DNA?"

"There would be no reason for them to compare a hair sample they find to any of yours. Remember, none of you have ever been to Italy, and what they see will be more animal than human."

"Fine. I'll do it," I volunteered

"No, it should be me," Sam offered.

"I'm the Alpha."

"He's _my_ brother."

"Jeez, guys, put it back in your pants!" We looked over at Leah. "I'm the one who's going because I'm the fastest, leanest, lightest, and smallest. Both of you are gigantic as wolves! You probably can't fit through a doorway without taking out a wall."

"What about Collin or Brady?"

"You're not going to pull the damn girl card after all these years, are you, Sam? Besides, if you haven't noticed, they're both adults now. They aren't as big as you, but they're not exactly as 'stealthy' as me, and I'm being nice."

"Hey, we can hear you, you know…"

"Oh, can it! This is business," she retorted. "Okay, mind reader, do we do this tonight?"

"Yes. The current staff will vacate the premises in three hours, and the night surveillance team will take over. I have a map of the premises, along with the usual schedule they keep during the evenings."

Edward laid out some papers onto a table and we all gathered around to iron out the plan.

Leah had to plant the seed of doubt as far as the existence of the supernatural was concerned. She also had to create enough of a distraction for Edward to get inside.

His hope was to locate where Aro was in the building, gather whatever information he could, and then leave undetected. That meant Leah had to do this twice, which made it riskier, but it was all we had.

Every detail had been laid out for Leah. She knew exactly where to enter and exit. Once Leah entered the building, Edward was going to come in through a window in a different room and run into the tunnels. Leah would zip past the night team and leave through a doorway that Carlisle would rip open at the last minute. The doorway led to the back of the building into an alley. Rosalie would be waiting for her in a dark doorway close by with a wraparound dress, shoes, and a coat. As plans went, this wasn't too bad. Two girls walking around were less likely to attract suspicion than some gigantic Native American guy in Italy.

The second run was going to be trickier. Edward had to be the one to go in since his ability to read thoughts would allow him to find his way to Aro. It would also warn him if the Volturi detected him somehow. That meant we had to synchronize our watches and do the second run at a predetermined time. Edward could not be late, nor could he be early. If he had to leave to avoid detection, he'd have to find a place to hide until the specified time or risk being detected by the surveillance team.

There wasn't going to be much time for anyone. Edward was given ten minutes because that was what he estimated would be a safe duration to be inside without risking any back-up units arriving. We were pretty sure the two men who made up the night crew wouldn't call in to say that a giant wolf ran by them, but hey, you never know. Certainly, they were going to do _something_ after the second run.

Collin and Brady would stay back at the villa. Collin would phase and do his best to stay still, and not disturb anything in the room. Brady was to remain with him, his finger on the magical button. It was some device that would send our group an instant signal if something went wrong. It was Collin's job to signal Brady if something went wrong.

At first, we were skeptical about this because Sam's group no longer shared thoughts with us, but something strange happened when we made the decision to work together. We were mulling around, concerned that Leah was going in without any of us having her back. The pack was accustomed to working as a team—always knowing every step the others took. A few of us phased, to see if what Sam and I did to communicate could be replicated. That's when this bizarre thing happened.

Sam and I went through a string of thoughts in a span of seconds, determining I would lead this fight so he could focus on his brother and not allow his personal stock in it to weaken the rest of us. At that instant, we were of one collective mind again.

We didn't have much more time to prepare. Once the finer details were ironed out and our watches synchronized, we made our way to the Volturi building.

Emmett, Sam, and I were positioned outside in the main square, at a café. We had two ostentatious motorcycles parked out front in full view, and the three of us did not look too welcoming. It was on purpose that we made ourselves appear menacing. Having us there in the square, we hoped, would throw attention our way, leaving Carlisle's hiding spot undisturbed and Edward's point of entry ignored.

It was hard to act "natural", as instructed. Emmett was too still, often forgetting to breathe or blink at frequent enough intervals. Sam stirred his tiny cup of coffee for ten minutes before gulping down the entire contents in one sip. I was tapping the table with my fingers, and my leg kept twitching under the table. Every time I caught myself, I'd stop, only to realize I was doing it again a few minutes later.

When the quiet beep of Emmett's watch alarm went off, the three of us froze for a second before acting.

I reached over the table and shoved Sam in the shoulder. He reached toward me with his fist. Emmett caught hold of it before it made contact with my face.

"Get out of my way! This is none of your business!" Sam shouted.

"I don't need you to protect me!" I yelled at Emmett before turning to Sam. "I can take you any day. You want a fight?" I pushed my chair back from the table and stood up quickly. People around us began to stare, their conversations halted.

Across the square, I saw a flash of grey fur before it disappeared into the shadowy doorway around the side of the building.

Sam toppled our table over and dishes crashed onto the cobblestone.

I heard the quiet click and thud of a locked door being picked and prodded open. The flash of grey fur appeared again and then disappeared around the corner into a dark alleyway.

"Guys, come on, they're going to call the cops," Emmett said. He reached down and placed the table upright.

Our waiter appeared with a broom to clean up the dishes and spoke hesitantly. "Gentlemen, we do not allow such behavior in our establishment. Please pay your bill and find somewhere else for your dispute."

Emmett's watch beeped once more. It was quiet enough that only the three of us heard it.

Sam and I glared at each other while Emmett placed some money on the table. We left the café patio and made our way to the two motorcycles. Emmett walked away from the square, disappearing down a narrow path. Sam and I started up the bikes, making as much noise as possible. I saw a figure in the shadows of the large wooden door of the ancient building across the square. He peeked out, searching for the source of the ruckus. His eyes stopped on us, eyeing Sam and me revving our bikes and yelling at each other over the noise. The door closed with a quiet thud and the man disappeared into the building. Sam and I left on separate roads.

Leah had made her first run successfully, and Edward was probably inside the tunnels beneath the building. All that was left was to make sure he got out.

I hid my bike and made my way back, where I looked out from the shadows. Carlisle and Esme walked toward the square holding hands. They laughed and smiled and threw a few coins into the water once they reached the fountain.

Time seemed to drag on. Edward's ten minutes was an eternity to me as I watched, frozen. Again, I heard the quiet beep of a watch alarm. It was the same as Emmett's but it came from Carlisle's wrist. Subtly, I saw Esme press against Carlisle's pocket and then an obnoxiously loud siren was heard. Carlisle fumbled clumsily inside his coat. Everyone near the square looked around in an attempt to determine the source of the noise. The surveillance team inside opened the door. One man walked out and made his way down the front steps while the other looked on from the doorway.

Carlisle grabbed the phone in his jacket pocket, turned it off, and looked at the people around him apologetically. "Scusi! Scusi tanto!" he said. We knew it seemed unlikely that someone like Carlisle would have such an offensive ring tone, but we only needed to provide a _source_ for the sound, regardless of whether or not it appeared in character.

The agent climbed back up the stairs, into the door, and closed it behind him. The onlookers resumed their activities as Carlisle and Esme strolled out of the square. Our tasks complete, it was now time to regroup.

Back at the villa, the group of us met in the main room where Collin and Brady were waiting.

I could tell by the scrunched faces and wrinkled noses that Collin's recent transformation into a wolf in this enclosed space had left a lasting odor. Carlisle, as always, was the only one able to refrain from showing any signs of discomfort. Even his wife was holding her breath and avoiding speech. Carlisle was a virtual saint.

"Please tell us, Edward, what you have learned?" I wasn't sure if he was the first to speak because he was their "leader" or because he was the only one that dared to breathe.

"Joshua is with them. He is alert and healthy—in better condition than he has been in some time. They were not prepared to go into hiding and are without drugs or facilities to do much more than keep him quiet and hidden."

I heard Sam let out a sigh of relief. "What are they planning?" he asked.

"Aro has no concrete plans. He's quite perturbed at the moment, and he's already killed one of his own guard, partly out of anger but also because he read thoughts of mutinous intent. At the moment, he hopes the authorities will leave before they are overwhelmed by the need to feed again."

"Disgusting," Leah sneered. "You make it sound like they're waiting for a pizza. You realize those are thinking, feeling human beings, don't you?"

I turned toward Leah, giving a look she understood meant that she needed to let this one go. She rolled her eyes at me, looked away, and plopped down into a chair with an exaggerated snort.

"How long's that going to be?" I asked.

"A couple of weeks," Rosalie replied. "Most of us can last much longer than that, but the Volturi are not accustomed to going hungry, so their self-restraint is not as strong as ours."

"Of course not. No one can approach _your_ restraint! I commend you for restricting yourselves to merely compromising the delicate eco-system so you can drain wild animals and wastefully discard the rest of the carcass to rot."

"Leah," Sam shot at her, "this isn't the time."

"It's _never_ the right time," she grumbled, but left it at that.

"Our time to rescue Joshua is now," Edward continued, ignoring Leah's comments. "Aro has no intention of remaining here after the agents leave. Our only hope is to go in while the investigation is still in progress."

"How the hell are we going to do that?" Emmett threw in. "We had to jump through hoops to get you in there for ten minutes!"

"The surveillance team is quite perplexed about tonight's events," Edward answered.

"Yeah, I heard those two talking about me after the second run," Leah added. "They were comparing notes, but it didn't sound like they were prepared to share this information with anyone. They're afraid everyone will think they're crazy."

"Yes, they are," Edward replied, "but they are both considering what would happen if they _don't_ share their experience. Both are considering their options, and they recognize that having corroboration will help. The two are not from the same agency. They are complete strangers and would have no reason to support the other unless it were the truth."

"What do they think I am?" Leah asked.

Edward shrugged. "Neither are sure, but they recognize you are not anything they have seen or heard of before. That is how we will get Joshua."

"What do mean, Edward?" Esme asked.

"I feel it's only a matter of days before others are notified. Both fear something of Leah's size would cause a danger to the public. Once they realize something is out there, they will begin to knock down walls and bring in more equipment. The underground will be breached soon enough."

"Of course, and Aro will have to make a decision. He will have to choose either to be discovered and forced to provide an explanation for his presence or kill everyone and risk losing what they have established in Volterra, as well as be discovered for what they are."

"Sounds like a no-brainer to me," I said. "Aren't all of you experts at making up shit? I'm sure the ass will come up with some story for why he's in the dungeon."

"Aro is not an expert at such things," Carlisle said. "He does not live amongst humans. We are unique in our…association with the human world. Most of our kind are isolated because they are forced to be nomadic. As you remember, interacting with humans is discouraged."

I remembered then the last time I had seen Aro. He was pretty pissed about the Cullens having "relationships" with people. Of course, he wasn't the only one. I never ceased to amaze myself. Now, I was agreeing with the Volturi about something!

I looked up to find Edward glaring at me. I had this unreasonable urge to stick my tongue out at him, but I opted to ignore him instead.

"I take it this means more waiting," Sam said resignedly.

"Unfortunately, Sam, you are correct, but I'm confident it won't be long." As always, Carlisle sounded sincere. I wondered if it were genuine. "In any case, we should wait until we hear from the rest before acting."

"Oh, yeah, speaking of 'the rest', they should be done any minute now," Collin announced. We all turned toward him and stared. Both he and Brady had been silent during the conversation, and this contribution was unexpected. "I was going to tell you, but all this talking got me sidetracked and I forgot."

"Okay, well, now that you've remembered, why don't you share what you know?" Sam demanded.

"Sorry, Sam. While I was phased, I was part of the pack mind and saw the fighting."

"You read their thoughts? They're halfway around the world!" Edward exclaimed.

"I guess our range is a little better than yours," Collin said smugly.

"How come I didn't see anything?" Leah asked.

"You were only phased for a few seconds each time, Leah," I reminded her.

"I guess I barely noticed, Collin," she muttered.

"Anyhow," Collin continued, "they were just finishing up. Me joining the pack mind kind of caught them off guard, but they were doing well. Paul told me to let you know that they need to look after the wounded before they can give you a call."

"Wounded? Who's hurt?" Leah demanded.

"Don't worry, Leah, Seth's fine. A lot of them have some cuts and broken bones. It's nothing they won't heal from. All they need is a little time. Plus, the phones are kind of crappy because of the storm."

"There's a storm?" Leah shouted.

"They're fine! You know we don't get cold!" Collin yelled back, rolling his eyes. He looked over at Carlisle. "Jasper says you guys should have thought of a satellite phone."

"Of course. We were in such a rush. Please accept my apologies."

"Don't worry about it," Collin answered.

"Hey!" Sam and I interjected in unison.

"Sorry! I'm not trying to stomp on your turf, man!" I dismissed it with a casual wave. This was no time to get territorial. "There were only two more vamps left when I phased back, and no one on our side was down." Everyone relaxed and let out an audible breath. "I told you everything was fine," Collin grumbled. "I'm not a fourteen year old kid anymore, you know…"

"Sorry." It wasn't often anyone got to hear Leah apologize. I fought the urge to make a wisecrack. It wasn't easy. Edward was smiling at me.

_Mind your own business, creep!_

He shrugged and looked away. No wonder the guy was still a virgin!

Edward and I engaged in yet another war of glares, but it was cut short by a phone ringing. He moved his gaze away from me and reached to grab his cell phone.

"Edward, you have to do something now!" Alice shouted through the receiver. "I just saw Jane! She's not with Aro and Joshua anymore! She's outside the building, waiting to create a diversion so the rest can escape unseen."

"Alice? What–"

"Go, now! She's across the square in the alley beside the café. You have to get there before the surveillance team calls for back up. Once they arrive, she's planning to use her power to disable as many of them as possible to make the other two to leave the building. You know all they need is a few minutes! We're on a plane right now! We should be landing in Italy by morning."

"Don't worry, Alice, we're leaving now!" Rosalie shouted from across the room. She was already throwing open the door. The rest of us followed. No instructions were needed. There was only one place for us to be right now.

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><p><em>Thank you for reading, and as always, I appreciate (and reply to) all reviews!<em>

_Oh…by the way, my other story, Ascent from Darkness, has won first place in two categories of the Torch Awards (best completed story and best grasp of character)! If you haven't read it yet, give it a try! It's my personal favourite of all my own stories. I have it posted right here on this site. To see who else won in the Torch Awards check out: thetorchawards(dot)blogspot(dot)ca/p/winners_31(dot)html_


	11. Chapter 10: Invasion in Italy

_Thank you **JaspersDestiny**, my spectacular beta. I sent this, the longest chapter thus far, late and she gave it back early. You just have to love a beta that does that!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 10—Invasion in Italy<strong>

Even from a distance, the sight of her made my blood boil. It was her power that had caused most of our injuries seven years ago. At least we killed her scrawny brother that day. It was probably a good thing their tracker and the big dude were destroyed, too. I didn't feel like having to face _them_ again.

Jane looked exactly the same as she had seven years ago, except she was disheveled and dirty. She must have had to crawl through some small spaces to get out undetected. That was probably one of the reasons why they had sent her. She had her ability, but she was also small enough to get through narrow passageways without making noise.

It was still night, but late enough that the café was winding down. Only a few customers remained as the staff started cleaning up and stacking chairs. The square had all but cleared out. Jane was hiding in a narrow alley, but we were able to see her. According to Edward, she hadn't noticed us yet.

We were in a good spot where the breeze didn't blow. The two of us were going to attack her first, followed by Emmett and Sam. The others would wait in the wings. The goal was to reach her as fast as possible, but hiding spots within close proximity but far enough not to be detected by her were few.

We needed numbers because whomever she targeted would be down for a minute at least. It wouldn't take her long to hit most of us if she played her cards right and switched targets quickly. In the end, this actually worked out well for all of us. It would be better to take her down here, alone, than to face her with so many others to fight.

Edward didn't have to say anything. I knew when the time came to make our move. I heard the cars racing uphill on the rough, cobblestone road. The back-up investigators were pretty far downhill, but they were coming all the same. I gingerly took off my shoes and clothes and jumped down from the rooftop onto Jane, phasing on the fly, knowing Edward was right beside me.

Luckily for me, she chose Edward as her first target, and he dropped like a brick. I landed on her, my teeth bared, but she directed her stare to me before I was able to get a good hold on her neck. I fell next to Edward, having only made a couple of pierces on her marble skin.

Emmett and Sam, who had been hiding on a rooftop a few blocks away, arrived and attacked Jane. Emmett collapsed to the ground immediately. She must have thought the wolves were lesser fighters. I wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong, but I remained incapacitated, fighting the pain along with Emmett and Edward. Sam leaped for her from behind but took a hit, then fell, writhing in pain with us.

Leah, Collin, and Brady arrived from their hiding spot further uphill from the alley. Leah knocked Jane down from behind as Collin fell. He was Jane's new target. Leah got a good hold of the leech's neck, but it wasn't firm enough. Brady landed next to Collin, his face contorted.

Leah held on. Jane couldn't get a good look at her because Leah had attacked from behind. I wanted to give the last blow and end it, but a half a minute had passed and I was still struggling to catch my breath.

Carlisle and Esme joined the fight last. They had been in a car parked close-by and had had to jog across the square at a human pace. Jane turned to target her gaze on Carlisle, but Leah jerked her head at the same moment. The two opposing movements were just enough to make the little blonde's head fall to the ground, creating cracks in the cobblestone.

No one uttered a word. Carlisle and Esme quickly dismembered the body and stuffed the parts into several bags. They ran off towards the car to transport Jane to the spot we had chosen for burning her body. Rosalie would be waiting for them there.

Leah phased around the corner from us and returned in her street clothes. Edward and I were finally able to get up, followed by Sam and Emmett.

_Well, one down, eleven more to go,_ I thought.

"Nice to know you can keep count," Edward snickered.

He _was_ an asshole, but it wasn't like him to make snide remarks without provocation.

"Who're you talking to?" Emmett asked him.

"He's talking to me," I answered.

"Edward, not the right time to be–"

"I think he knows something," Leah interjected, predicting the reason for his more than usual foul mood.

"I'm sorry, Jacob." Well, that was a first. He had never apologized to me before. He rolled his eyes, and I decided to let it go. He _had_ apologized after all. "You are right, Leah. Jane's thoughts have revealed what the second new guard's ability is."

We waited three complete seconds, after which we were unable to wait anymore.

"Come on! Tell us!" Brady pleaded.

Edward let out a sigh. What was with all this sighing? I thought they didn't need to breathe?

He let out another sigh, this time exaggerated.

"Can you guys continue your pissing contest somewhere else?" Leah said sarcastically. How was she able to notice _everything_? You'd think _she_ was the mind reader. "Just tell us what she can do. We're all prepared for the worst anyway."

"She can block another's ability, but she must be within close proximity to do so."

"You're pissed because you won't be able to snoop in our heads anymore!" I laughed.

"My abilities, and Alice's, are integral to our fighting skills. Neither of us has fought without them."

"Look, even if the two of you end up becoming pathetic fighters, we'll still outnumber them once the rest get here in the morning," Sam pointed out.

"I'm not sure we can wait that long. They'll be waiting to hear from Jane shortly. If they don't, they'll send others," he replied.

"Then we can pick them off like flies," Emmett said with a grin. He definitely needed to get together with Paul to exchange gore-filled fighting stories.

"You're right, Emmett. I'm sure Aro realizes the risk of sending another out, but they have few options in their current situation." Edward paused to think. "Perhaps we _can_ wait for the morning, after all. At this point, I think Aro may wait in hopes the investigation here ends soon."

"I don't know if that's the best plan," I said. "If Aro's waiting for Jane, and she doesn't show, he might become desperate enough to make a run for it. He could get past the agents fast enough that they wouldn't get a good look at him, and even if they did find out he was some 'supernatural', they wouldn't know what kind or how to find him again."

"Why don't we go meet up with the others and hash this out?" Emmett suggested. "We probably should come up with a plan all together."

"That's fine, but someone has to stay here in case another _does_ come out. You know, to pick them off," I reminded him.

"Shit!" Emmett exclaimed. He was going to volunteer because he was one of the better fighters, but I knew he was concerned for Rosalie. She had been declining at a faster rate of late. "I can stay, I guess. Who else?"

"I think Edward and a couple of the pack should stay," I suggested. Not only did I want _him_ out of my hair, but his mind reading would be better utilized here.

"I'm not particularly happy with your _true_ motive," he said to me, "but I agree, my abilities are better served here."

"I disagree," Leah said.

"With what?" I snapped, irritated.

"The new one, who can block abilities, might be the one to come out, and whenever Eddie's around, we rely too much on his talent. It's better to have the best fighters, regardless of their special abilities, than to risk being caught off guard. Emmett's a good one, and maybe the rest of us, except either you or Sam. We don't _all_ have to be there to talk to Carlisle and company." She had a point. "Besides, you know _him_." She pointed towards Edward with her thumb. "He always 'forgets' to tell us something because he thinks it's 'trivial'. Who knows what he'll choose to remember!" She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll stay here with Edward," I grumbled.

"Jake, _I'm_ staying here," Sam said. "If something's going to happen, I want to be close-by to get to Joshua, and I'm one of the strongest fighters. In addition, I think Leah should go with you. She's always got good ideas that a lot of us never think of." He had a point.

Leah looked at Sam and sneered. I knew what she was thinking. She still had a chip on her shoulder about being the only girl and the smallest wolf, but this time strength had nothing to do with it. Sam _was_ right. Leah thought differently than the rest of us.

"Okay, let's go. The rest of you stay here. Why don't one, or all of you, stay phased so we can all be involved in strategizing?" I suggested.

"Great idea, Jake!" Collin replied cheerfully. I smiled at him and nodded at the others, and then the three of us made our way.

It took no time at all to get to our destination. In the moonless night, within the dark shadows of the old town, we were able to run fast. Leah and I weren't phased, but we were still pretty quick. Outside the walls, we got into a car and arrived twenty minutes later.

It was an abandoned outdoor eating area in the surrounding countryside. Maybe it had once been a small restaurant, or perhaps it was a farm and this was where the workers ate. Either way, there was a large, outdoor oven made of stone. It looked as old as Rome, and perhaps it was.

Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie had already ignited the body parts. Even in the dead of night, my wolf eyes could see the purple clouds billowing up from the chimney. As usual, the smell burned my nasal passages, but knowing it meant that one less vampire would walk the earth made it easy to stomach.

We wasted no time. Before the burning was complete, Edward updated them on what he had discovered. He used that annoying vampire fast-talk whisper. I wasn't sure if he was trying to leave us out of the conversation or what, but we were able to make out every word. _We_ had heightened senses, too.

"This is to expedite matters, not to purposely exclude you," he said to me.

"By all means, continue. I wouldn't want you to waste the precious two minutes it would take to speak like a normal person," I replied sarcastically. "Of course, you're not exactly a person, and certainly not normal."

"I'm done."

"I _know_. We heard the conversation too."

"I knew that."

"Then you didn't need to waste three seconds to tell me you were done."

He scowled but said nothing further.

"Well, if the two of you are finished with your little lover's quarrel, we have a plan to think up," Rosalie said.

What was it about Edward and me that made us bicker no matter what was happening around us? I got that he was Bella's ex, and I was the guy who had taken the girl of his dreams away, but seriously, we were fighting against genocide and human enslavement!

"I don't have the answer for that, Jacob, and I am ashamed. After so many decades, I should be more tolerant and patient."

I rolled my eyes but bit my tongue about his intrusion into my head.

"Let's agree we'll always hate each other but not argue about it," I grumbled. "And you have to stop reading my thoughts, or at least ignore them! I can stop _saying_ things, but I can't stop thinking, and I'm sure you can't either!"

"Of course," he answered.

The rest of our discussion continued in a more civilized fashion, and ultimately, our decision was made. We would keep guard at the site in case anyone else came out but wait until Alice and the others arrived before venturing in. Since the Cullens didn't sleep, they, along with Sam, took watch for the rest of the night. Sam wanted to be there so the rest of us would have a link to the Cullens in case something happened. Sam took his wolf form and spent the night nearby.

Back at the villa, one of us had to be phased as well. I decided to be the one to sleep in wolf form. It didn't matter who it was, but I knew Leah didn't want to spend the night with Sam in her head, and I wasn't comfortable with relying on Collin or Brady. I knew they were twenty, but to me, they were still kids.

As Carlisle had predicted, it was a relatively quiet night. The additional agents did arrive on the scene, but no Volturi. Carlisle was confident nothing would happen during the night. Apparently, compared to humans, Aro had all the patience in the world when it came to waiting for the right moment. He was more than a thousand years old, so waiting one night to think was nothing to him.

What _wasn't_ quiet was the human activity _above_ ground. Investigators swarmed inside and out armed with every forensic device known to man, or at least it seemed that way to me. Every inch was being sprayed, brushed, or scrutinized for anything that could be picked up and bagged.

During the night, the Cullens had followed Jane's trail and reached the point where she had exited from the underground tunnels. It was outside the main building, around the back and away from the square. It led to a residential structure that had been divided into several flats. The unit on the lower level was the location of the exit. It was hidden inside a closet, under the floorboards.

This is where we gathered together early the next morning. The others arrived from Canada before dawn. We were fortunate to have woken to a grey, rainy day. Alice couldn't see anything, which meant the Volturi were still together. Everyone was watching the main building while Alice, Carlisle, and I were at the flat debating what we should do.

"It's too narrow for us to stand united. Any altercation would be one-on-one," Carlisle noted with a hand on his chin.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," I replied, already working it out in my head who would be the best to be in front: probably either Emmett or me.

"Under normal circumstance perhaps not, but we're not sure of what the vampire we encounter first will be able to do."

"Can't you guys take inventory or something?" I asked.

"We already have, Jacob," Carlisle said. "There is one I cannot account for because he must have joined after my contact with them ended. Edward did not hear any thoughts alluding to gifts, but that doesn't rule the possibility out."

"What _does_ Edward know about him?" He had to have picked up _something_. I mean, the guy had spent the better part of a day reading their minds not that long ago.

"He's big, or so the others appear to think so. He is very faithful to Aro… Of course, that could be Chelsea's doing."

"Chelsea?"

"Chelsea is a member of the guard. She is able to loosen or weaken bonds between individuals. She is a large part of how the Volturi maintain loyalty among their guard."

"Is she a fighter?"

"No. There are a few that would have no chance against a one-on-one attack, but the one we need to look out for is her mate, Afton. He's able make himself undetectable."

"You mean like the new one?"

"He's different. He can't erase his scent, but he can become invisible to others and shield one other person who remains close behind him. If he chooses his mate then it's of no consequence to us. They wouldn't risk their lives if they saw the others fall. Afton and Chelsea would run, never to be seen again. However, if he chose to shield a strong, offensive guard member, it would open us up to a surprise attack at a critical moment. Even worse, once one person is killed, the attacker could return to his position behind Afton to await the next opportunity."

Okay, _that_ sucked.

"Carlise?" Alice spoke. "I don't think we have too many options. We have to go in. Aro's not going to wait around forever, and if the investigators find the entrance, which seems inevitable at this point, Joshua will likely be killed. He knows too much, and Aro won't allow him to live if he has to make a sudden escape."

"Yes, you're right, Alice," Carlisle said with resignation.

"Okay, so now we just have to figure out who's going in first, right?" I asked.

"The space is quite cramped in the tunnels, Jacob," Carlisle noted. "The pack will not fit through them comfortably, if at all, as wolves. Our family should head the attack, and all of you can remain outside for any that get away."

"I'm not exactly ecstatic about that plan, and Sam won't be either."

"We don't have too many options here, Jacob," Alice snapped at me, irritated.

"Maybe you guys could try to flush them out. We could wait out here and pick them off as they come out," I suggested. "That way you don't have to contend with all of them, freeing up enough of you to get to Joshua."

"How are we going to flush them out of the very tunnel we're blocking while we're on our way in?" Alice yelled.

"Can you give me more than ten seconds to think about it?" I retorted. "You could try to think too. That's not too far a stretch, is it?" She was starting to irritate me.

"Perhaps we can create a threat through the other entrance," Carlisle said, ignoring our bickering.

"But the entire building and the grounds surrounding it are swarming with investigators from several agencies!" Alice exclaimed.

"I was thinking they'd be the ones to do the flushing." Carlisle had a smug grin. Yes, Carlisle! "If we could steer the humans in the right direction, they would enter the tunnels, forcing Aro and the others to leave. His only other option would be to kill everyone that comes underground, but that will be many, and all those above ground will know something has gone terribly wrong. There will be no time for Aro to hide evidence, or even run, if this is the route he takes."

"Why couldn't they run?" I asked. After all, they _were_ vampires.

"They haven't fed in some time, and the smell of human blood, especially once some has spilled through injury, would put them in a frenzy, leaving them unable to think logically. All they will be able to do is feed. It will create a situation where they will eventually be seen feeding on humans."

"You realize we're pretty much sending lambs to slaughter, right?"

"It's doubtful Aro will choose that route, but yes, Jacob, I do realize the risk. You know I abhor the thought of innocent lives lost, but what else is there? The Volturi have overstepped their authority, and with Aro alive, they will build up their ranks quickly enough."

It wasn't a call I wanted to make. No matter how slim the chances were, it wasn't fair to send all those agents in there like that. There had to be some other way.

"Couldn't a couple of us, or even you, go with them? You guys seem pretty quick to make fake identification. Maybe you can make a few of us into agents too? There are people at the site from all over. Not too many know each other, and no one knows everyone."

"That's not a bad idea," Alice conceded.

"I concur. It will have to be us, though. It may be possible that the Volturi won't make note of vampire scents amidst the scent of humans after so long. However, _your_ scent will be more distinct."

"But they've been holed up in there with Joshua all this time," I pointed out. "I'm sure the stink's been bothering them, and I doubt there are facilities for him to take a shower."

"Of course. They're less likely to tell the difference between Joshua's scent and one of yours. They may not realize the smell is from other wolves, especially if they are not phased. Okay, select four to go in through the entrance inside the building. Five of us can wait outside, in case something goes wrong, and the rest shall be here to pick them off as they exit."

"That's good. Thirteen of us here will make it easy pickings." I was pleased. We would have the numbers.

"It will only be twelve. Rosalie will not be among us fighting."

"Oh, yeah. Okay…twelve is still good." I was happy, or at least as happy as I could be. It was the first time we had a plan to kill them that didn't seem doomed to result in the death of a pack member.

The others thought the same thing once we shared this with them. I could tell by the looks on their faces. Even Sam looked pleased.

We decided that Sam, Leah, Embry, and Jared would be the four going in. Collin, Brady, Carlisle, Edward, and Esme would be the five waiting outside the building. Edward grumbled about this, but they needed him there to read minds. There would be no other way to find out with enough notice should the four in the tunnels need back up.

The rest of us, including the bunch from Alaska, were crammed into the flat. It was small, and it stunk like vampires even before I got locked in there with _this_ bunch. There was no furniture, so Seth, Paul, Quil, and I had to sit on the floor, watching as the rest stood. They _only_ stood. No matter how many times I saw them like this, I would never get used to it.

Alice was among my group. We were hopeful that she'd be able to see them as they approached the exit, confident Joshua would be left behind. No one voiced it aloud, but we were doubtful yet hopeful that Joshua would be abandoned _alive_.

I was phased, ready to be part of the pack mind if and when Sam, Leah, and their group turned wolf. It didn't take long.

Sam's group posed as historical investigators, architects, and engineers working for the CIA who had information about hidden passages under the main building. They were leading a small group of agents heavily armed and wearing Kevlar.

The ideal situation would be if the Volturi heard the humans approaching and wanted to remain anonymous more than to feed, thus bolting for the exit.

Of course, life was never perfect, and ideal situations didn't exist.

Surprisingly, Collin and Brady entered my consciousness first.

_Jake, Edward read the Volturi!_ It was Collin in a panic. _They all smell the humans, and Aro's trying to make them leave, but many are thinking about ignoring him._

_Have they done anything yet?_ I asked.

_No, not yet, but soon,_ Brady answered. _We're going in after them because Edward said it's only a matter of minutes before all hell breaks loose. We'll be seen, but Carlisle says we have no choice._

_At least you guys won't be recognizable,_ I thought.

They ran across the square, inducing screams and creating panic. The group zipped into the building, and at first the investigators stared in shock. By the time they got around to shooting their guns, they had long disappeared into the tunnels, Carlisle and Esme taking up the rear. The two of them punched walls and ceilings, making rubble fall and blocking the entryway.

As soon as the gunshots went off, Sam, Leah, and Jared joined the pack mind. I was worried, wondering what had happened to Embry, but then I heard his voice.

"Don't shoot the wolves! They're on your side! Look, they're killing the vampires!" he yelled.

Sam and Leah ripped through the vamps, trying to follow the wolf scent to Joshua. Jared ran to the tunnel that led out, appearing to chase the others who had decided to run, but he was in fact ensuring they ran right toward us.

Collin, Brady, Edward, Carlisle, and Esme worked to kill the vampires left in the chamber. I noticed there were two dead agents on the ground, drained of blood.

The rest of the humans were on the perimeter, stunned into silence and immobility.

It wasn't long before the group that had run started appearing from the exit under the closet. The first few were taken down quickly, but the rest figured it out and ran back in. Emmett, Jasper, and the three blond chicks from Alaska ran in after them. I thought I saw the last one give me the evil eye before she disappeared under the floorboards. I was ready to go, too, but the tall, dark-haired Alaskan stopped me.

"All of us can't go after them. We must remain here to ensure none escape."

I knew he was right, but I hated waiting idly by while watching the rest of the pack fight. I was the Alpha! If anyone was going to fight, it should be me!

I let out a slow growl, shaking my head in the direction of the closet.

"There are many more of us than them, and we have some of the strongest fighters. Besides, to fit in there, you'd have to go in human, and that would create unnecessary vulnerability at this point."

I knew they were fine. I saw everything as it happened, so I resigned myself to being a spectator. Besides, it was coming to an end.

All of the Volturi appeared to be destroyed, except for Aro. He was unaccounted for. Sam and Leah had found a trail to Joshua, but it ended at a wall of boulders.

"He's behind it. I can hear him," Edward said. "If he was able to get in, we should be able to as well."

Emmett and Sam were the first to act. Both ran into the stone, creating fissures that turned into cracks. Jasper, Leah, and Edward crashed in right after them, turning the cracks into a pile of rubble. Inside stood Aro with two giant syringes held at Joshua's neck. They were several yards away inside the cave. The white wolf had pale grey markings on his head. He was caged, with no room to move or phase. His head protruded from a round opening, having nowhere else to go. He looked weak and extremely thin.

"These are filled with a concentrated dose of vampire venom. I know some of you believe it's not deadly, but no one knows for sure, and this is a far larger dose than one bite."

Sam was weighing his options, thinking of letting Aro go. I don't know why, since she didn't have a well-formed thought when the decision was made, but Leah leaped on Aro, biting his head off. She was as fast as lightning, faster than any of the Cullens could have moved—faster than any of us could have either, including me. But she wasn't fast enough.

One syringe fell to the floor, but the other struck the wolf. We watched, helpless, as Joshua spasmed, hitting the stone and bars of the cage surrounding him. Bloody patches began to appear. The others all worked together to break the bars, but it took longer than I would have thought. What were they made of—some metal I had never known existed?

Once he was removed to a more open area, Joshua phased human. He was tall but gaunt, almost wasted away. Even if a wolf could survive that amount of venom, I wasn't sure this one would. Joshua had been weakened by hunger, thirst, and abuse. He was convulsing, just as I had, but it was much worse. He was foaming at the mouth, and his face was turning blue. Carlisle grabbed Joshua's head and altered his position. Color began to return to his face, but it went from pink to red and finally to purple. Was this how I had looked when Victoria had bitten me? Is this what Bella had to watch?

Carlisle started touching Joshua everywhere in rapid motions, making adjustments here and taking note of something there. Esme dropped her backpack and opened it for Carlisle. It was filled with medical supplies. I wished I could help. It was torture to stand outside, watching through the eyes of my pack-mates, but they didn't need my help. The space was already too crowded as it was.

"Sam, grab his legs and try to keep them from banging too hard against the stone. Jasper, Irina, Tanya, take the vampire parts up to the others for burning. Edward, you and Emmett find a way to get those agents out of here, and block up all points of entry. Leah, Collin, Brady, go back to Jake and the others, and grab some remains as well. There is no need for anyone else to risk discovery."

Everyone sped around, throwing themselves into the tasks given to them by Carlisle—even Leah, who had basically been told by a vampire to scram.

I phased human, grabbed my clothes, and updated the others while I dressed.

"Incoming—only body parts! All the Volturi are dead, along with two humans, and Joshua's been injected with a lot of venom. Carlisle and Sam are down there with him."

Leah emerged during my commentary and dropped an armful of reeking limbs onto the floor of the flat. Collin, Brady, and most of the vampires on our side soon followed. I stared at the pile. There was nothing I wanted to do more than burn it all, right then and there. That's when Eleazar and Alice produced a bunch of thick metallic bags and started filling them.

It was quick work, and they left shortly after to burn the remains. I stayed behind and made my way down into the tunnels to check on Carlisle and Sam. I listened, but I only heard two voices.

As I approached, I saw them inside the dark cave. Both were sitting still, looking down at a young boy. He looked like a child to me, with wavy, black hair. He was as still as a statue. His chest did not rise and fall, and I heard no heartbeat coming from him. Sam reached out and put his hand on the boy's. His other hand rose up to his eyes. Sam was crying.

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><p><em>This was it, the chapter I've been waiting to write—hopefully you've been looking forward to reading it too. Ah, but it is not the end—far from it! There are still many unanswered questions, and I don't want to leave loose ends. I can't write a sequel with loose ends. That would be so wrong.<em>

_Over the weekend I participated in the Twilight Iron Pen Challenge. Basically, I was given thirty minutes to write a one shot based on a surprise prompt. Go and see all six entries and vote for your favourite! spreadsheets0(dot)google(dot)com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&formkey=#gid=0_

_Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear from you! I appreciate reviews._

_Oh, one more thing, Chapter 11 will be posted early. It will be updated on Friday._


	12. Chapter 11: Wolves Can Have It Too!

_Remember last chapter when I said the end of the battle did not signify the end? Well, here's some more to ponder about. Enjoy!_

_Thank you **JaspersDestiny** for beta'ing this chapter. Your suggestions for alternative wording always makes what I found difficult to write suddenly seem smooth. All the errors you catch—both glaringly bad and those so subtle I wonder if anyone would have noticed— reassures me that what I post will be easy to read, not distracting my readers from the story being told._

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 — Wolves Can Have It Too!<strong>

They were frozen. Carlisle was leaning back, as though he were afraid to touch the boy. Sam was leaning forward, and his hand rested on Joshua's. What were they doing? The kid had been alive a minute ago! I ran to them, threw Sam off, and started compressions on the boy's heart. There was nothing to lose at this point.

"Mouth-to-mouth!" I shouted. Carlisle leaned forward. "NO!" Who knew if it would matter, but vampire _anything_ at this point would be too risky. That must have been why Carlisle had been hesitant to do anything. "Sam!"

He pinched Joshua's nose shut and began mouth-to-mouth.

Carlisle pricked the boy's finger, took a drop of blood, and then turned around. I didn't know what he was checking for, but I had no time to think about it.

"Sam, what's your blood type?" Carlisle asked.

"B," Sam uttered between breaths, "positive."

Without asking, Carlisle pierced Sam's skin and started an IV. Next, he went to Joshua's leg and made an incision in his upper thigh. I smelled the blood before I saw it. Once I had a chance to look, I had to turn away quickly. Blood gushed out at an alarming rate. Carlisle must have sliced his femoral artery, but why? Ah, of course, to try to rid his body of venom without having to suck it out, as Rosalie had for me. He moved quickly but seemed to avoid touching him as much as possible. A line was started on Joshua, and tubing connected Sam to the boy. Blood began to flow immediately from one brother to the other.

"How…are…you…go…ing…to…know…when…it's…out?" I asked in staccato, maintaining chest compressions.

"I will have to wait for Joshua's condition to improve," Carlisle answered. He was kneeling opposite me, to my right, and holding the incision open so it wouldn't heal shut.

We must have heard it together; a heartbeat—a new one—and it was neither Sam's nor mine.

"Don't stop; keep going!" Carlisle yelled.

The heartbeat was weak and irregular, but it was improving. Soon, it sounded strong and had a regular rhythm. I stopped my compressions, and Carlisle went to work repairing the severed artery. After, he held the skin where the incision was together and forced my fingers on it.

"Please, Jacob, keep this together until it seals. His heart stopped when I put my finger in his mouth to clear his airway again. I don't want to take any risks." I held the cut skin together and watched it heal before my eyes.

"He's recovering," Carlisle noted, grabbing Joshua's wrist. He checked his blood pressure and removed the line that connected him to Sam.

"I'm okay. Give him as much as he needs," Sam said before Carlisle disconnected the tubing.

"He's gaining color, Sam, and his ability to heal would indicate the worst is over for now. I think he'll be fine with some rest and food. We don't need two of you sick." Carlisle gently removed the IV from Sam but left Joshua's in. He attached different tubing that was connected to a bag of clear fluid. Carlisle must have noticed me watching him because he said, "It's something to rehydrate him and to give him nutrients."

How much were they able to fit into that one backpack? Dora had nothing on this guy.

I looked at Joshua and noticed his color _was_ improving, but he was still unconscious. Rosalie appeared behind me. I hadn't even heard her come in.

"Carlisle? They've scared the other humans into leaving and sealed the entryway, but it won't be sealed for long. Alice sees them coming back with explosives." She laid a stretcher down. "We have to get out."

Carlisle looked up at Sam, who nodded, and the two of them gingerly lifted the thin boy off the stone floor and onto the stretcher. Sam reached down to grab one end, but Rosalie stopped him.

"We should handle it," she said, indicating Carlisle and herself. "The tunnels up to the flat are narrow, and you and Jacob are both much larger than us. It would be best if he were jostled as little as possible." She was right. Sam reluctantly moved aside, letting Rosalie take his end.

We proceeded up quickly and realized Rosalie hadn't been exaggerating. Both Sam and I had to stoop as we walked, and our shoulders touched the walls. It hadn't seemed this narrow when I was coming down, but I was in a rush and preoccupied at the time.

The Cullens and their Alaskan friends were gone when we reached the flat, but the whole pack was waiting for us.

"He's just a boy!" Leah exclaimed. I noticed her hand reaching out for Seth's. Seth grabbed it without protest. He may be twenty-one, but she was still his big sister. "I knew he was sixteen, but he's so _thin_, and the curly hair…! He looks so young, Sam."

"I think he must have lost weight," I replied. "Think about how much we eat in a day. Who knows what the Volturi were feeding him, and I doubt he had anything at all while he was down there."

"Shit, is he going to be okay?" Paul asked.

"He appears to be improving," Carlisle answered. "I felt quite medieval doing it, but I had to drain as much blood out of him as possible." A look of shock passed over the faces of the pack. "Oh, no! Not that way! I severed his femoral artery and gave him a transfusion from Sam. It appeared to help."

"The others…they're getting rid of the bodies?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. We're supposed to meet back at the villa," Brady said. "I'm not sure how the whole lot of us are going to leave here without being noticed. There are cops all over town, and a perimeter's been set up. No one's allowed near the square."

"Don't worry. We made preparations in case something like this happened." Rosalie walked out of the room and came back with several bags. "Humans tend to be less suspicious of people they feel are wealthy." She started removing the contents and passing them out. They were designer clothes and shoes, as well as grooming products. "May I?" she asked as she held up a comb and hair styling scissors.

"Please tell me you've done this before," Quil groaned.

"I've gone to beauty school, twice," she responded with a smile.

A few of the guys rolled their eyes, but they all conceded. Rosalie passed around wipes and commanded us to clean off as much as we could from our faces and hands as she cut and styled our hair. She worked quickly. While she worked on one, the others got dressed as fast as possible. In fifteen minutes, the ten of us were more than presentable.

"What about Joshua?" Sam asked.

Rosalie ran out of the room again and returned with a wheelchair. It wasn't like Dad's. This one was bigger, fancier, and it had attachments for the occupant's head. It was designed for a quadriplegic. Sam and Carlisle had already dressed Joshua in the clothes provided. His were the only ones that didn't fit properly.

Once he was positioned in the chair, Rosalie produced a pair of sunglasses and placed them on his face. With his head propped up and the sunglasses on, he didn't look unconscious.

"Okay, Sam, you and Leah leave first with Joshua. You'll look like a couple, which is good because people are less suspicious of married people." I could see the discomfort in both their faces, but they left without a complaint.

"Okay, Collin, Brady, Seth, here…" She tossed some backpacks at them. "You guys are posing as college kids taking a year off to travel. Wait a few minutes and then leave through the back. Paul, Quil, and Jared, you're going to leave through the same doors Sam and Leah left through. Try to remain quiet, and take these." Briefcases were tossed their way.

Fifteen minutes passed and only Carlisle, Rosalie, Embry, and I were left.

"Okay, Carlisle and Embry are going out the back, and you and I are leaving together from the front," she announced. She linked her arm into mine. I flinched on instinct. "I had you and Sam paired with women because you're the biggest. You stand out too much, but being part of a couple makes you look about as normal as possible." She held out her hand toward me and waited for me to take it. I must have made some sort of face. "Look, I'm enjoying this about as much as you are. Don't be a baby!"

"Just 'cause my age is two digits doesn't mean I'm a baby!" I protested, grabbing her hand. She opened the door, and we stepped out onto the cobblestone street. We probably looked like the unhappiest couple in town.

It was torturous walking at a human pace to get to a car, so I decided to make conversation. Not only would we look more natural, but also something had been nagging at me.

"Hey, how come one of the blond Alaskans kept giving us the evil eye? I mean, I don't expect any love from them, but she's the only one doing it."

"Oh, you must be referring to Irina," Rosalie replied, matter-of-factly. "Laurent was her lover before you killed him."

Laurent? Where had I heard that name before? It must have been the guy in the meadow who was about to kill Bella all those years ago. I hadn't killed so many vampires that I couldn't remember each and every single one.

"If he was one of theirs, why was he trying to kill Bella?" I asked. From what I could tell, those Alaskans were vegetarians as well. They all had the creepy, yellow eyes. The leech that had tried to kill Bella that day had red eyes—definitely not vegetarian.

"He had only happened to side with us to avoid being killed by us. Laurent tried to adapt to our lifestyle for a while, but he soon gave up. Irina is still upset about it, but she agreed to help us because we're family."

Lovely. They had family all over the _fucking_ continent.

"So, what now?"

"We wait for Joshua to heal enough to travel, then we go our separate ways."

"What about you?"

She shrugged and looked eerily unconcerned for someone whose days were numbered.

"Carlisle will ask you for some tissue, blood, and bone marrow samples, and he'll do what he can."

"You think he'll find something?"

"No. It doesn't feel like something that can be 'cured'. Your blood has this ability for a reason. Your kind only exists because we do. It wouldn't make sense for this to be reversible."

"Oh, sorry." What else was I supposed to say?

Again, she shrugged. "I've lived long enough. There's nothing more I want to experience that I haven't already or am able to. At least now I'm changing. That's something different, for once."

When we arrived at the villa, the Alaskans were packed and ready to leave, but the tall, dark-haired guy was standing over Joshua's bed, staring at him. It was a little unsettling. All the women in his group looked uncomfortable and anxious to get away.

"Hey, what are you staring at?" I asked him. He turned to see who was speaking to him.

"Oh, yes, you are the Alpha?" I wasn't sure how to answer that. It wasn't an easy question to contend with.

"Yes, he is," Sam replied, saving me from a sticky situation. He looked from me, to the leech, then back again. "Have you been standing here the whole time?" he asked. I guess Sam had been preoccupied and hadn't noticed.

"Yeah, he's been staring since we've arrived," Leah threw in. "I didn't say anything because you had enough to think about."

"I'm terribly sorry. I meant no disrespect. It's just that I've never met one of your kind before, and I've certainly never used my ability on anyone other than humans and vampires."

"What ability? What the hell are you doing to him?" Sam demanded.

"It's okay, Eleazar's ability isn't offensive in any way," Carlisle reassured. "He's able to see what special abilities other vampires have as well as the talents humans have the potential to possess once they are changed."

"Joshua has a special ability?" I remembered then the conversation I had with the Cullens a few weeks ago. They thought it was possible my children could have something like that if they phased.

"I believe so, but he is difficult to read, and what I'm seeing is not clear."

Well, whatever it was, it hadn't helped him escape.

"What do you see, Eleazar?" Carlisle urged.

"He is able to see things. They are not thoughts, like Edward, nor are they glimpses into the future, like Alice. However, it is some small portion of those two things combined. It's quite perplexing. Could I remain here until he's conscious?" Sam shrugged. He seemed unconcerned about what any of them did.

In the end, the three blondes left, but Eleazar and his little woman stayed behind. We sent the rest of the pack home, but I remained. For whatever reason, Leah insisted on staying too. There was no reason why she couldn't, so we shrugged it off. You had to pick your battles where she was concerned, and this wasn't worth the effort.

As Rosalie had predicted, we were asked for various samples. I insisted on being the giver of everything. It was _my_ life she had saved, and it was _my_ blood that was killing her. The blood sample was nothing. Carlisle took quite a bit, but my body produced more in no time at all. The procuring of the tissue sample was a little painful, but it wasn't much worse than a bad cut. The bone marrow hurt like you wouldn't believe, though. I mean, sure, I'd felt worse, but this was different. Getting hurt in battle was one thing. Not only did you expect it, but in that situation, you gritted your teeth and pushed the pain aside to stay alive. Lying here on the table with nothing else to think about prevented me from focusing on anything other than the pain.

The next morning, Joshua regained consciousness. He had striking green eyes. His wolf probably had them too, but we were a little pre-occupied and hadn't noticed. He looked confused at first. Once the initial grogginess wore off, he flinched, moving away from Carlisle so suddenly that some of his tubes detached, causing him to bleed.

"It's okay, it's okay…" Leah said in a soft, comforting voice as she rushed to his side. "We've rescued you. He's a doctor, and he's not like those other ones." It appeared she was the perfect person to have around. A vampire wouldn't be comforting for any of us, and Sam and I didn't exactly bring out warm and fuzzy feelings in anyone who didn't know us.

"Who…who are you?" Joshua asked as he looked only at Leah.

"We're from the same tribe as your father. Well, the three of us anyway." Leah gestured to indicate Sam, herself, and then me. "We're like you, too, and we can help. These guys are vampires, like the ones that had captured you, but they're good ones. They don't kill humans. Carlisle's a doctor, and he's been taking care of you since your rescue."

"How…what…I don't understand." Joshua appeared to be on the verge of an anxiety attack. His eyes reflected pain, and I noticed he was shaking.

"You're safe. We'll tell you everything, but first you need to meet someone." Leah waved Sam over to them. She took his hand and pulled him closer. Sam moved hesitantly. "Sam's your half brother."

"Hey, Joshua. I wish I'd known about you years ago. I…" Sam stopped and took a deep breath. "I wish I could have been there to help."

"It's Josh," the boy responded bitterly. "I hate that he gave me his name."

"Hey, it's not his name anymore," Leah said, taking his hand. "It's _yours_."

"Sam, why is your wife disfigured?" Joshua asked.

Leah dropped his hand and took a step back. Sam was stunned into silence.

"What did you just say?" Sam asked, after his voice came back.

"I…I'm not sure. I mean…I know what I said, but I don't know why." His eyes darted from Leah to Sam, and then rested on me. "You have no wife, or at least not anymore."

"What?" I shouted. I ran and grabbed the phone, dialing as fast as I could.

"Hello?" Bella answered. I let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Is everyone okay, Bells?" The fact that she was able to answer the phone wasn't proof nothing was wrong.

"We're all fine, Jake, but how are all of _you_? I haven't heard from you in a couple of days."

"Everything's fine here. The…uh…other people won't be bothering us anymore, and Sam's brother is doing well." I felt a little stupid, but who knew if anyone had tapped the phones?

"Oh, that's good news."

"Look, most of the other guys are on their way home. You can ask them to update you when they get there. Leah and Sam are still here because Joshua can't travel yet."

"But why can't you–"

"Not over the phone."

"Oh. Okay. I love you, Jake."

"Love you, too, honey. I have to go, but give the children my love."

"Of course. Bye."

I hung up and went back to Joshua's bedside.

"I still have a wife, so what's this about?" I tried hard not to sound upset. The kid had just scared me to death, but he was in bad shape and probably in shock.

"I told you…I don't know. Maybe the person I'm seeing isn't your wife… She's not like Sam's wife, you know, not clear. I only know there was _supposed_ to be one, but there isn't anymore."

"What does 'supposed to be one' mean?"

"Eleazar?" Carlisle called.

"I've been listening." He walked into the room and his gaze drifted from Sam, to Leah, then rested on me. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. The situation is so intriguing…"

"Don't worry about it. We all have problems closing our ears. Just tell us what you think."

"The Cullens mentioned that you have a peculiar way of finding your mates," he began.

"Not all of us!" I blurted out indignantly.

"Yes, not all of you. As I was saying…I believe Joshua is getting impressions of who your imprints are. It appears he can visualize them in his head."

That _did_ make sense because Emily _was_ disfigured, and I hadn't imprinted…

"I don't believe his inability to see your imprint is because _you_ haven't seen her yet." It was Edward. Of course, he'd be reading everyone's thoughts. Well, at least it was coming in handy. "He isn't gathering this information from your thoughts."

"Then what is he seeing?" Edward didn't answer, but he didn't look like he didn't _have_ the answer. I couldn't understand what he could have found out that he'd want to keep from us. Unless… "I'm _never_ going to imprint! That's what you know, isn't it?"

"I don't know anything for sure."

"You're pretty sure."

"Nothing is definite. We know very little of how his powers work."

"Josh, what did you see?" I asked. Better to go to the source. He was someone who knew nothing about our situation.

"I can't really explain it." He looked at me apologetically.

"Why don't you start by telling us what you saw when you commented on Sam's wife." Leah had gotten over the shock and re-joined the conversation. I noticed she was standing as far away from Sam as possible.

"I can see what she looks like, and I can hear her voice. I even know her name, I think. Is it Emily?" Sam nodded, his eyes bugging out in amazement. Joshua turned to look at me next. "But with you, I don't see a person or know a name. I know somehow that there was _supposed_ to be someone, but she's not…_here_ anymore. Maybe she died?"

I shrugged. "It could be. I never imprinted, so it would have happened without my knowledge."

"Imprinted? What's that?" Oh, man, for a first question, he'd really picked a doozy. But I didn't care. I was never going to imprint, and that's all that mattered to me.

"Hey, don't worry about that right now. Let's start with the basics and then we'll get to the extra weird shit later, okay?"

"There's something _more_ weird than turning into an animal?"

"Yeah, there _is_," Sam said with a chuckle. It was the first time I had seen him smile since my visit to the Makah reservation back in September, and it made me smile along with him.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading and I would love to hear from all you readers out there. You've stuck it out through a prologue and eleven chapters! You deserve a chance to ask me something that's been perplexing you. I answer all reviews!<em>

_The next update will be on Tuesday. If I can get Chapter 13 written and beta'ed on time, I will see if it can be posted the following Friday. Again, I make no promises but will do my best._

___Have you voted yet for your favourite story from the Iron Pen Challenge? All participants had only thirty minutes to write a one-shot based on a surprise prompt. I was one of the participants. There are only six entries and all of them are short. It won't take long, go and vote!___

_spreadsheets0(dot)google(dot)com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&formkey=#gid=0_

__Also, (what a busy week) Willow2883 has interviewed me for theair_thesun on LiveJournal. This is the first author interview I have had. You can read it at:_ theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com/300580(dot)html___


	13. Chapter 12: Exposed

_I felt we needed some light, happy moments, so I brought that into this chapter. It's more than just a light interlude; there's a bit of information, too—not all of it's integral to the progress of the story, but I hope it will be of interest to you all the same._

_Again, I have to bow down to the powers of my supernatural beta, **JaspersDestiny**. Writing is so much easier when you know someone is out there waiting to read your work and who finds all your errors before you release it to the world! What possesses betas to do this for writers—free of charge—I will never understand, but I shall forever be grateful._

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><p><strong>Chapter 12—Exposed<strong>

We were slowly becoming a family again. Sam and Paul moved back to La Push, and Joshua went with them. He lived with Sam and attended the tribal school. Everyone loved him from the very start.

Joshua was easily excitable, but at the same time, he was timid and private. He didn't share much unless you asked him outright, and he was a keen observer, never forgetting anything he heard. He even figured out the cause of discomfort between Sam, Emily, and Leah without having to ask a single question.

Most of the time, Josh—as he preferred to be called—avoided calling attention to himself, but he was happy to join in with the laughter and ribbing that came along with any pack event. The topic of his life prior to his arrival in La Push, though, was off limits. Whenever it did come up, he would excuse himself and leave, disappearing for hours. One time, he was gone a full day. Everything Sam knew about his past, he pulled from official documents. Currently, Sam was in the process of becoming Josh's legal guardian, though the courts had granted him temporary custody until the case was finalized. It was more a formality than anything else, as Sam was the only known family Josh had.

As a result of this, none of us, including Sam, knew anything about Josh's mother, his foster parents, or the time he spent as a prisoner to the Volturi. We weren't even sure if he'd become part of the pack collective because he refused to phase. At first, we were positive he wouldn't be able to keep that up. He was still a young wolf, but it appeared his time in captivity had forced him to gain a lot of self-control. We didn't know what had been done to him to allow him such control over himself, and quite frankly, we cringed whenever we entertained the possibilities.

One thing we were all anxious to learn more about was his special ability. Because he had been alone among vampires after his first phase, Josh had no knowledge of this ability until the day he first spoke to us in Italy. As curious as we were, for some reason none of us asked him about it. I suppose we were still feeling things out, to find out what he was comfortable with and what he wasn't. Plus, Sam had pretty much forbidden us from asking him anything after he disappeared that one day.

Of course, Seth, Embry, Collin, Brady, and Leah were chomping at the bit to find out if they would imprint, and on whom. Naturally, they were only able to contain their curiosity for so long. Thus, that strange but inevitable conversation did eventually happen. We were at my house just before Thanksgiving when all the unmarried pack members, including myself, gathered together. Bella had taken Trevor and Lola to visit with Charlie that day.

Someone came up with a bogus reason for this pack gathering, but the real reason for it was that Seth and Embry had begged me to plan something so they could finally ask Joshua. It was one of the few times we had seen Josh without Sam present, which was exactly the reason for this afternoon get-together.

"Okay, I've been waiting ages to ask you. You've _got_ to try your powers on me!" Collin finally blurted out after more subtle attempts failed to garner understanding from Josh.

"Yeah, is my imprint hot?" Brady asked.

"Just tell me it isn't a kid, like Quil's!" Embry added.

"Hey, watch it! It's not like I _chose_ this!" Quil interjected.

"I don't even know why I'm here… What's the point when you're barren?" Leah grumbled.

"Sis, too much fucking information!"

"Hey, there's a kid in the house!" I warned.

"She's a _baby_!" Embry rolled his eyes at me.

"She has ears, asshole!" I shot back.

"Why are _you_ swearing?"

Shit. Why did I always forget? I sighed with resignation.

"Josh, can you please tell them what they want to know?" I asked the kid.

"Sure," he chuckled. "First off, I don't have 'powers' that I use on command. I either see your…_imprints_, if you have one, or I don't. As long as I'm within range, I get the information whether I want it or not."

"Wait! Dude! You telling us you've known all this time? You've been holding out!"

"I wasn't sure you wanted to know…and I didn't want anyone to feel their privacy had been violated."

"Well, you have _my_ permission! Violate away!"

"Violate _all_ of us!"

"Hey, speak for yourself! Some of us may not _want_ to know!"

"Who're you kidding, Leah? We've shared thoughts with you for years! Just because you're scared, it doesn't mean you don't want to know."

"Fine," Leah muttered.

"Okay, where should I start?" Josh asked.

"Go alphabetically," Leah replied.

"By last name!" Seth added.

"_First_ name, and start now!" Leah demanded.

"Brady, nothing. Seriously, not even a hint of anyone."

"I guess that means I can ask my Dad's best friend's daughter out," Brady said, relieved. "I couldn't have her left in the wings because of an imprint. My Dad would kill me!"

"Collin, yours is a white girl who's sixteen right now. Her name's Madison, and she lives in California. She has curly red hair and blue eyes, kinda cute, especially when she smiles. I think her last name's a word…like a type of bird. She's tall and athletic. She's a competitive swimmer. In fact, all the imprints are pretty tough or athletic in some way."

"Okay, okay, I'm next!" Embry demanded.

"Embry, your girl is twenty-five. She's part Ojibwa and lives in Upstate New York, in a small town near Syracuse."

"Upstate New York? How the hell am I going to find her if she's thousands of miles away?"

"Hey, I only see _them_, not how you're going to find them."

"Go on," Embry grumbled.

"She's a mechanic and–"

"Jeez-us! She doesn't look like Jake, does she?"

"You can only _wish_ that were true!" I commented from across the room.

"As I was saying…she's a mechanic, kind of a tomboy, I think… She has long, straight black hair that she seems to wear in one of those messy things that chicks do where all their hair's in a ball at the back of their head."

"Up-do."

"Huh?"

"It's called an up-do!" Leah grumbled. I looked over at Leah and gave her a hand signal to stay calm. She had to learn to tone it down with the kid. He still got jumpy pretty easily.

"Oh, yeah. Okay. Anyhow, her name's something like a flower, but I know her last name! It's Brady."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. Do you want to hear the rest?"

"Yeah, yeah, go on."

"She lives with her three older brothers. They're all single and pretty close in age. I think their parents are either dead or out of the picture."

"Good luck with that one, Em!" Quil jibed. We had all seen what Quil was like around the boys his younger sisters brought home. I used to tease him about being over-protective, but now that I had two daughters of my own, I was considering taking lessons from him.

"Leah, y–"

"Stop!" she shouted. "I don't want to know."

"Aw, come on, Leah! You can't make the poor guy carry this information around forever without telling everyone. You want to know, and you know it!"

"Fine…" she replied grudgingly, "but if it's bad, I'm taking it out on you!"

"Is it okay to talk now?" Josh asked. Leah nodded. "You have an imprint, but there's something odd about the situation."

"Great, just what I wanted to hear."

"There's nothing wrong with _him_, only the situation. It's not set in stone, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Seems like he's _intended_ to be your imprint, but he won't be until something else happens."

"Until what happens?"

"That, I don't know."

"I bet you have to stop phasing for good, you know, so you'll…er…go back to how you were before."

Leah rolled her eyes. "How old do you guys have to be before you can say the word 'menstruate'?" she asked.

"Ugh! Did you _have_ to do that? Go on, Josh."

"He's nice looking, you know, for a guy. I guess chicks would call him tall, dark, and handsome. He lives in Canada, but not far from us. I think in Vancouver, or somewhere close to there. He must be at least thirty because he's a surgeon of some sort. But he doesn't look much older than that. His name is Howard Kennedy."

"_Howard_? My imprint is named _Howard_? There is no way I can fuck a guy named _Howard_!"

"Language, seriously!"

"He's athletic, does that help?"

"I don't know. What does he play?"

"He curls."

"Is that a sport?" Brady asked.

"Yeah, it's in the Olympics and everything," Quil answered.

"So, what you're telling me is that my soul mate is some guy named _Howard_ who spends his spare time wearing shoes on an ice rink with a _broom_?"

Josh shrugged. "Hey, I didn't choose him. I just call it as I see it."

"Okay, she's done, now me! I've been waiting _forever_!"

"Sorry, Seth, but I don't know much about yours."

"Does that mean I won't imprint?"

"No, there's someone, but…"

"But what? Is she dead or something, like Jake's?"

"No, it's not the same. I mean, it doesn't appear like she's around right now…but…um…I'm just the messenger, okay?"

"Okay…"

"I think she's not born yet."

"No!" Leah and Seth yelled in unison.

"Keep it down! I'm trying to put Serena to sleep!" I called from upstairs.

"Sorry. She's becoming clearer as time passes, which is why I'm sure she's not dead. There's no name yet, but she's part-Quileute. I don't even know how I know that, but I do. I think she's going to be the kid of someone you know."

"If she's Quileute, it's probably someone on the reservation. Wait! Emily's pregnant!"

"I said _part_-Quileute."

"Oh, right. I was scared for a second there."

I didn't blame Seth. Who wanted to imprint on Sam's little girl? He'd probably beat the poor guy senseless. As it was, he kept tabs on Emily's niece, and he made a point of making Quil leave town whenever she visited. He was forbidden to ever see her again until her twentieth birthday. Quil wanted to do the same thing. He agreed it would be way too creepy to know her as a child if there was any possibility of having a romantic relationship with her when she grew up. Of course, knowing that didn't make it any easier for him.

"Hey, maybe Jake and Bella…"

"We aren't having any more kids, and Bella can't!" I had made my way downstairs, having successfully put Serena down for her nap.

"Yeah, I've heard _that_ before," Leah threw back sarcastically.

"Don't go there, Leah," I warned her.

"All right, all right! Don't get your panties in a knot!"

"She's only got one fallopian tube! And even if she _did_ get pregnant, it would be ectopic, like the last one."

"Okay, whatever, so do you see anything else about her?" Seth asked impatiently, waving at us to stop talking.

"No. It's fuzzy, like it _might_ happen or it might not. I'm guessing she hasn't been conceived yet, which is why it doesn't look like a sure thing, but it's getting clearer with time."

"Ugh! Do you know anything about her parents? If I can prevent them from doing the deed on whatever date she's supposed to be conceived, I can avoid imprinting on an infant, right?"

"Sure, I don't see why not, but I don't know anything about her parents except that one is Quileute and the other isn't."

"Are they from around here?"

"Like I said, I don't know anything about them."

"Thank God! At least I won't be the only freak around here," Quil muttered.

"Hey, it's not a done deal!"

"Yeah, right. Good luck with that, Clearwater," I said with a chuckle. "Look, if you guys are done getting your fortunes read, can we talk about something else? Has anyone been paying attention to the news lately? Any new theories?"

"Nah, it's dying. Some singer got pregnant, and no one knows who the father is. I think the Governor of somewhere or other has a sex tape of himself floating around on the Internet."

"Well, let's hope it's died down for good," I added. It wasn't easy living with the feeling that someone could find out your secret any day now. The sooner the events we had caused in Italy were forgotten by the world, the sooner we'd be able to relax and take a breath.

Ever since our return, we'd been on edge, afraid that any day someone would know our secret and knock on our door, since there had been a media frenzy immediately following the battle in Volterra. The mass destruction, loss of a historical monument, and the presence of international agencies at the scene had ignited an onslaught of theories behind the cause. People came up with everything from terrorism, an attempted takeover of Europe by fascists, government conspiracies, environmental destruction, and even an alien invasion. Interestingly enough, there had been no mention of vampires or giant wolves. We found this strange considering Collin and Brady had been seen in the square—albeit while passing phenomenally fast—and the investigators underground who had been with us had seen the Volturi feeding on two of their colleagues.

Eventually, like all things, this occurrence, as fantastic as it was, was forgotten about, as news of celebrity break-ups, large-scale fraud, and various other scandals took the limelight once again.

For the most part, life was good for us. It had started to feel as though we might finally get a chance at normalcy. This was despite the fact that a lot of the new industries had begun to leave. It started as a slow trickle; a few sectors were trimmed here and there, nothing drastic at first, but by the New Year, entire plants had closed down, and many were bought out and relocated to more economically advantageous locales.

Luckily for me, I had asked my old boss for my job back when I returned from Italy, and Sam found a new job at a lumber mill northwest of La Push. Paul and Jared were not as fortunate. They struggled, taking on part time work and picking up whatever odd jobs they could get.

Many of the new families who had moved to Forks and the surrounding area left when the jobs disappeared, which caused housing prices to plummet.

Even with the financial hardships, we still had good times and families we loved. Plus, the pack was back together as one. I was the Alpha, and Sam was happy to sit back and focus on Josh, Emily, and his soon-to-be first child. This was with some help from Carlisle.

Back in the fall, Carlisle had returned from Italy and gone to La Push with us, along with Rosalie and Emmett, to try out different treatments, and to investigate our fertility issues more closely.

As he had surmised earlier, Paul, Jared, and Sam had been exposed to concentrated doses of various chemicals through their work gear. It was enough that it had rendered them sterile; however, the effects weren't permanent. Once the cause of the exposure was removed, their healing ability had a chance to catch up. Carlisle checked them for trace levels on a daily basis, and once he was satisfied with the results, he gave them the all clear to begin "trying".

Rosalie was another matter. Carlisle tried everything. He studied and scrutinized, grasping at straws in his fight to save her, but nothing seemed to make a difference, at least with his laboratory samples. Eventually, out of desperation, Emmett convinced him to try a treatment on her directly, only to find it sped up her decline. In the end, everyone agreed that Rosalie needed to get away from us. The constant contact with the pack was believed to be the cause of her accelerated deterioration, and the only option left was for her to enjoy what time she had left in comfort. Rosalie seemed at peace with this fate. Emmett, on the other hand, appeared broken beyond repair.

Bella, Rosalie, and Emmett spent a lot of time together the last two days they were here. I conceded and allowed them get to know our children. It may have been the only time I had seen Rosalie laugh.

All of that has faded to the background of our lives now. Spring had popped its head in the Peninsula on this unseasonably warm Saturday in March. Emily was glowing, and Seth was soon going to become the first pack member to receive a college degree. The whole pack was in my backyard for a barbecue lunch, and we were having a great time when Bella came out with the phone.

"Jake, it's Carlisle… He won't tell me what it's about. He says he has to talk to you." She handed me the handset. Her face was pale, and her eyes screamed of fear. She had been part of this secret world of ours for too long to take anything for granted.

"Hello?"

"Stop phasing now, all of you, and never phase again," he said without returning my salutation. I knew the guy was serious because not much made him forget his manners. "We're being watched, most of our assets have been frozen, and this phone won't be available, or safe, for much longer."

"What's going on, Carlisle?" I asked. "We can't give up our patrols. Ever since we destroyed the Volturi, vamps have been everywhere. You've seen the news. Unsolved murders and abductions are increasing all over the world, and this area is no exception."

Without the Volturi governing their activities, drifters had begun returning to the Peninsula, so we had resumed a regular patrol schedule to keep our families safe. Still, we were better off than many other places. I assumed this was because there wasn't a very dense concentration of people around here.

"They know," Carlisle continued. "They've suspected all along, but now they know. They've seen others of our kind feeding, and they've found a way to destroy us." I didn't want to be insensitive, but it wasn't _our_ problem that they were after the vamps. And exactly who were "they"?

"Who are you talking about?"

"The _humans_!" I felt indignant by his response. After all, _we_ were human, even if _they_ weren't! "They know there are wolves, too—giant animals that destroy vampires—but they don't know much more. No one has realized the wolves can transform into humans, or even where to find them. In fact, their search has been restricted to Europe and Western Asia thus far."

"I'd think they'd be happy to meet us if their goal is to destroy vampires."

"Jacob, don't you see? They've found a way to destroy us, but it's difficult, expensive, risky, and damages property. The wolves don't have these disadvantages. Do you want to be enslaved—working only to destroy our kind every waking moment? Perhaps experimented on, as Joshua had been, so others can find ways of duplicating your abilities, or take your genetic material to create more soldiers in the war against the undead?"

Shit, we were back to _that_ again. I really missed worrying about how to pay the electricity bill.

"We'll keep a low profile, but none of us are going to leave our families vulnerable."

"Word has spread among our kind. All are going into hiding, and already conflicts have broken out over territories with the largest concentrations of vagrants and homeless—those least likely to be noticed if they went missing. You won't see many in your area, if at all. The communities there are too small for any death to go unnoticed. At the very least, stay close to your loved ones, but phase only when there is imminent danger."

The phone went dead after that.

I handed the phone back to Bella, who had bitten almost all her fingernails to the quick, and turned to tell the guys. There was no need. I hadn't noticed because I'd been engrossed in the telephone conversation, but all activity had ceased. Everyone was gathered together looking at me, waiting.

"We heard."

"Yeah, I can see that."

We spent the rest of the afternoon working out a feasible plan. It meant a lot of changes in our lives, but it had to be done.

Once it was implemented, we all felt as though we were under house arrest. Those of us who lived outside the reservation had to move back to decrease the perimeter we had to patrol. Even Seth turned down jobs in Seattle for a lesser paying one at the bank in Forks so he could move back home.

We took turns patrolling the village as humans. At any given time, there were two of us out in the woods, supposedly hunting or hiking, as we observed a tight perimeter. During the day, one of us stayed within La Push, keeping tabs on our families and their whereabouts. Bella and I had to enroll Trevor at the tribal school, and Lola stayed home. There was no preschool in La Push.

Since the elementary school was housed within the same building as the high school, Josh volunteered to keep tabs on Trevor during school hours.

Carlisle had been right. The vampires we encountered dwindled almost immediately. In only a couple of weeks, all the trails we found were cold, and no new ones appeared. We intently monitored the news from any and all media outlets. Rumors began, and witnesses started coming forward, claiming to have seen giant animals in Italy. One of the investigators who had witnessed the battle underground had retired from service and was giving interviews on daytime talk shows.

It hadn't gotten to the point where the majority accepted it as fact, but it was enough to bring questions and paranoia to the forefront. Behind the scenes, we noticed a rapid decrease in the number of homeless people, vagrants, and drug dealers. Many who lived on the fringes of society—the extremely impoverished, those involved in criminal activity, and illegal aliens—began disappearing at alarming rates. However, it was the sudden decline of prostitutes worldwide that finally brought these disappearances to the forefront of the public's attention. You just _had_ to shake your head at that.

Soon after, the news reported sightings of strange, fast burning fires in barren areas where barely any flammable material could be found. Footage was taken from news helicopters that showed purple smoke billowing in thick clouds, hiding whatever fueled the flames. In addition, the number of bombings internationally increased, but they were not the usual targets for terrorists, nor were they crudely fashioned explosive devices. The bombs were sophisticated, using new technology, and the locations of the targets were abandoned, condemned buildings or somewhere underground. _We_ knew the cause of these events. What was incredible and unimaginable was that it appeared the human world knew, too.

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><p><em>*<strong>AN**: One little aside for those who are wondering, and/or have commented on it previously. It was believed in canon that being separated from one's imprint was a horrible fate, and difficult to live with. However, this was never proven as none of the wolves were ever away from their imprints for any prolonged period of time. There is nothing in canon that would make it impossible for the distress caused by separation from an imprint to decrease in intensity as time passed. Just saying._

_Thanks for sticking with my story, and I hope you enjoyed this latest update. I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a review! I appreciate them all and reply back to each and every one!_

_I am hoping to update on Friday April 20th. If worse comes to worse and I am unable to, I will do so over the weekend._

_Lastly, I am running an anonymous contest on the LiveJournal community, theair-thesun for short Jacob/Bella stories written to a musical prompt. Come visit the contest, read the rules and enter if you're a writer. Even if this contest isn't for you, drop by, read the entries and give the writers your support by voting when the time comes! Here's the link: theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com/302051(dot)html_


	14. Chapter 13: Eerie Familiarity

_Oh, the strange happenings just don't stop! It's starting to feel like an episode of the X-Files! _

_Thanks go out to my beta, **JaspersDestiny**. I'm going to be sad when this story ends because Sparkly Red Pen assigned her to me, and when this story's done, I'll have to give her back. Boo-hoo._

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><p><strong>Chapter 13—Eerie Familiarity<strong>

"But they helped us! Josh wouldn't be part of our lives if it weren't for them, and we could all be dead right now!"

"Exactly what do you expect me to do, Bells? Should I call the CIA, Scotland Yard, Interpol, whomever, and tell them what? 'Hey, you know those guys, the Cullens, whose assets you've frozen? Yeah, well, they're vampires all right, but they're pretty upstanding. They only suck the blood out of wild animals. At worst, they've violated hunting regulations.'"

"This is no time for joking around."

"It wasn't a joke! Seriously, if you can come up with a reasonable plan, I'll entertain it."

Finally, the Volturi were all dead, the Cullens were gone, and pretty much every vampire around these parts had fled to greener pastures, so to speak, or died fighting to gain territory, and Bella was asking me to help _them_ out.

Since the phone call from Carlisle, we'd had no contact with any of them. I felt a little bad, considering the whole situation was due to them helping _us_ with _our_ problems, but what could we do about it? It was over our heads.

Bella stomped into the kitchen to clean up the dinner dishes, and I plopped onto the coach with Trevor and Lola. Trevor was playing with his Hot Wheels, and Lola was coloring. I turned on the television to the news while I kept an eye on them. It was background noise more than anything, until something caught my attention.

"_Worldwide, governments are warning of dangerous individuals. The public is being advised not to approach people exhibiting particular attributes, and toll free numbers have been set up worldwide. Jenny, do you have more details?"_

"_Yes, James. I'm here, live at the Pentagon, where the media had been invited to a press meeting. We were not allowed to film or record during it, but we have been asked to report what was relayed there."_

"_The Pentagon? What is going on, Jenny?"_

"_It appears there are dangerous people out there who have been physiologically, genetically, or otherwise altered. They are stronger, faster, and stealthier than any creature we know of, but they lack morals or conscience. Their only objective is to kill."_

"_Do you have a description, Jenny? How will people be able to identify these dangerous individuals? Where did they come from?"_

"_No one seems to know, thus no information has been divulged as to their origins. It is unclear at this time if they were genetically bred or altered afterwards, but what is known is that they are extremely resistant to most offensive attacks, even bullets. Here is what the public needs to know: if they encounter someone with unusual eye color, generally red, or some color mixed with it, such as purple, or less common, yellow, consider that a marker to exercise caution. Also, all of these individuals are extremely pale skinned, physically attractive, and come out only at night or on overcast, cloudy days. If they are in contact with direct sunlight, their skin will reflect the light, causing a glittering effect."_

"_Glittering? Well, that's a new one. So, what are we supposed to do if we encounter one of these individuals?"_

"_According to officials, we should immediately proceed to a crowded area, preferably in sunlight, without causing undue attention to ourselves. As soon as we are able to get to a phone in a public place, we are instructed to call the toll free number."_

"_We will have this number posted on the bottom of your screen throughout this broadcast. It works in all parts of the United States and Canada, including Alaska and Hawaii."_

The news broadcast included photos of a few leeches, with markings and notes to denote the subtle differences between them and most humans. One photo was of Carlisle. Of course, he had a very public life because of his job.

I turned the television off. Seeing Carlisle's picture like that would only make Bella more upset.

The world was changing. People didn't go out at night the way they used to, and abductions were at an all-time high around the world. Most of the targets were those that lived on the fringe: drug addicts, criminals, the impoverished, and homeless. Another target group was young women and teenage girls. Everyone liked to believe that the "genetically altered individuals" were behind this as well, but they suspected the truth: the world's oldest profession couldn't go long without workers.

Before we knew it, the Fourth of July was upon us. Although the world around us was rapidly changing, our little corner seemed to be standing still in many ways. We were gathered at First Beach for an outdoor dinner by a giant driftwood bonfire. It was a warm, clear night—the kind that every resident in these parts coveted and never let pass without pausing to bask in it.

Emily was due any day now, Kim had just announced she was pregnant, and Rachel was beginning to show. Both Jared and Paul had gotten a job at one of the few businesses that hadn't moved with the mass exodus last fall. Things were working out for all of them.

Collin, after a lot of time spent on the Internet, actually located his imprint. She lived close by, in Port Angeles, and she blended into our extended family easily. Leah was adamant never to venture into Canada, and Seth was still nervous, spying on every mixed Quileute couple he knew in the area. He was down to three: me and Bella, which I kept telling him was not a possibility; a middle aged couple whose children were in high school but who were still young enough to have another child; and a teenaged couple who had started dating a few months ago. Seth made a point of planting condoms and family planning brochures into their lockers, cars, backpacks, and coat pockets every opportunity he got.

And Embry? He was saving up for a trip to Syracuse. With a lot of time and effort, he had narrowed down the possibilities to a few girls, but it had been difficult for him to get the exact ethnicity of his imprint through casual investigations. Brady was completely relaxed and now dating the girl he had wanted to ask out for years. She was fun, outgoing, and she adored Brady. Joshua had certainly changed things for all of us.

"Hey, Joshua, how are you enjoying your summer vacation so far?" Bella asked. He was sitting next to us.

"It's been great. I got a job in town bagging groceries at Thriftway, and all my friends from school are around, so we hang out a lot. I even like being on patrol!" He smiled and took a big bite out of his hamburger. As soon as school was out, Joshua insisted on taking his fair share of patrol shifts. Sam was leery about it, but he conceded when we suggested Josh be paired with him.

"That's great. You know, you should come and visit us more often. The kids love you, and Bella makes a mean lasagna. Don't tell Sam, but it's even better than Emily's," I whispered. Bella elbowed me playfully.

"Sure, I love it at your place, but I don't want to be any trouble. I feel like I get Trevor and Lola overly excited whenever I come over."

"They're like that all the time. At least when you're around, they're occupied and not fighting with each other." I rolled my eyes. That had been the latest development in the past few months. I had forgotten how inflamed sibling disputes could get.

"Can I ask you something about your ability, Josh?" Bella asked. I was a little surprised. She had been ecstatic about what Josh saw in terms of my imprint, but she hadn't shown any further interest since then.

"Sure, Bella, anything," he answered.

"Do you see _your_ imprint?"

"I don't think so…"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I don't see anyone, like with Brady, but I can't be sure that means there isn't anyone, or that this…_thing_ just doesn't work on me."

"I see. I guess the only way to be sure would be if there _was_ someone."

"Yeah, I guess."

That's when I realized Josh was the only one of us now who was unsure of his personal future as far as imprinting went. Everyone else knew with certainty if they would imprint, and with whom. It seemed unfair.

I looked around the fire at the smiling faces before me. I had an arm around Bella, and a charming young boy was with us.

It was déjà vu, made complete by a sound in the distance, coming from the west where only the ocean lay in front of us. With our keen eyes, even in the darkness, we could see the disturbance that made the water move in a pattern contrary to the direction of the tide. He was fast, faster than the little one from all those years ago.

Like all those years ago, everyone stood up, alarmed.

"I think I know who it is," I reassured them. As if on cue, his head popped out from the water, and he sped out onto the beach.

"You guys like to make an entrance, don't you?" I sneered.

"Traditional forms of communication cannot be trusted by our kind anymore, and I could not risk being seen."

"Look, I don't know what you want from us, but there's nothing we can do."

He wasn't alone, just faster. The water stirred, and Rosalie appeared with Emmett. Rosalie had changed. She looked frail. I had a feeling Emmett had carried her most of the way. She appeared to be decomposing. The surface of her skin lacked some vital folds and wrinkles on her fingers, the insides of her elbows, and every other place that distinguished humans from mannequins. Her hair had thinned, too. It was more than just wet with seawater; I could clearly make out her scalp through the thin veil of blond that covered her head. Of all the people that they could have sent, why had they chosen _her_?

"We're here to warn you, and to help you."

"Shit, what _now_? What _more_ can happen at this point?"

"Irina can no longer stand accepting her fate alone, without a mate, especially in the face of our life of darkness."

"Irina? Who the–?"

"The one you asked me about," Rosalie answered. "She's the one you noticed giving you unpleasant looks."

"Oh, yeah, that one." What was _with_ these guys? All they did whenever anything happened was think about killing someone. Had they not heard of getting over it?

"We are not so fickle as you–"

"Can it, because I'm not having some philosophical argument with you right now," I butted in. "What's she going to do, come and kill us all by herself?"

"No, she is planning on telling the authorities where to find the vampire-killing wolves," Edward replied. "She hasn't definitively decided on a course of action yet because she doesn't want you to profit from celebrity, but she _has_ left her family."

"I guess the fortune teller told you all of this."

"Yes, Alice found out as soon as the decision was made, but Irina had already left her family by the time Alice met up with us. We had been…_hunting_."

The hesitation meant there was something distasteful about the hunting they had done, but their eyes were still yellow. Eh, what did I care?

"It's nothing–"

"No one wants to know about your diet. Just tell us where she is." The guy needed to find a way to shut his talent off.

"She is headed for the FBI field office in Seattle. She left minutes before us and intends to come ashore at some other location. Irina may not have yet touched land."

"Look, we can take care of this. Thanks for the heads up, but one leech is a piece of cake."

"Edward," Bella called from behind me, "are the others…?"

"They are all well, and they send you their love," he answered quietly.

"They're all happy for you, Bella," Rosalie added, "for the beautiful family you have, and for the human life you have chosen. That's why I'm here…why the three of us are here, actually. We're going to catch up to Irina and either take her back or destroy her, if need be, so you don't have to lose what you have."

"Thanks for the offer," I began, "but we're more than capable of–"

"We're not doing this for you," Edward interjected. "Under _no_ circumstances can you phase. The climate is too tenuous, and Alice cannot give you any forewarning."

"We've done a pretty good job of staying undercover so far," Sam threw in.

"There once were rumors in this area of ferocious bears or giant wolves attacking hikers."

"That was Victoria," Paul said.

"That's not what the humans think," Edward replied. "Even Bella believed it once."

"You can read my mind?" Bella asked.

"No, he can't," I answered. "I was thinking about it, Bells, sorry. So, if you're here to off this _Irina–_"

"Destroying her is a last resort, not our _goal_," Emmett said, interrupting me.

"Whatever. How come you brought Rosalie? No offence, Blondie, but you don't look so hot."

"That's why I volunteered."

"I don't get it."

"It's a real possibility that all of us will die, Irina included. The humans have hunters of their own, and traps, everywhere. Alice wanted to come to help us with that, but we insisted she not waste her life or Jasper's. But mine? It's already at its end. Besides, I don't really sparkle much anymore, which may be helpful."

Her skin _did_ look pretty matte, even wet.

"What about…?" I nodded towards Emmett.

He gazed at Rosalie and wrapped an arm around her waist. I guess I knew _his_ reason. But what was Edward's?

"I have the ability to find her quickly, and to warn everyone of impending danger."

_But why risk your life? Sure, the girl is weak, but the big guy can take anyone,_ I thought. I didn't want to say it aloud in front of Bella. I knew it sounded cold.

"I've had a long life of solitude, and I have nothing more to look forward to but more of the same. If I can do this one last thing to bring peace to Bella's life, it is the best thing I will have done in the hundred years I've walked this planet."

Talk about overdone. Did the guy think he was performing a soliloquy?

"Edward!" Bella ran to him, but she stopped short, making sure not touch him. At least she was still thinking of me. "Don't be careless. Your life _is_ worth living. You bring so much to so many. Think of Carlisle and Esme…Alice…! You have so much to give!"

"Bella, as long as you're happy, it will not be in vain. As much as I wish it could have been me, this is the life I've always wanted for you, a human life with friends, family, and children, things I could never give you."

"Edward…"

"We have to go. There is little time. We came only to let the pack know of our presence, and Irina's so they do not phase unnecessarily should they pick up a trail from one of us."

"Where's Irina coming ashore, or is she travelling in some other way?"

"She's also travelling through water, but she's coming in from the northern part of the Peninsula and headed to Olympic National Park to hunt first. We've had a difficult time finding game while in hiding…"

He looked a little embarrassed, and that's when I remembered something the blonde had said to me eight years ago, after regurgitating my blood: about it being worse than sucking on rats. Well, _there_ was a thought I never needed to have again…

"Goodbye, Bella, and be happy. Jacob's a good man. He loves you as much as I do."

The three of them zipped away into the darkness. It was just like him to say something redeemable and then take off, making him look good. The competition would never end in my mind, or was it _just_ in my mind?

"Well, I guess that pretty much ended the party…" Embry remarked.

"It's getting late," Sam added. "The girls look tired, and I'm sure Jacob and Bella have to get home to relieve their babysitter."

I looked over at Emily, Kim, and Rachel. They _did_ look like they'd had enough for tonight.

We put out the fire, packed up our things, and began to disperse. Everyone left except for Bella and me. We sat on our driftwood log, which was still here after so many years. It had gotten partially buried during that time, likely the reason why it had never gone out with the tide.

"Jake?"

"Mmmhmm."

"I know you don't like that I still care about the Cullens."

"It's not my favorite thing, but I know it's all of them and not just Edward."

"It's Edward, too."

"What are you trying to say, Bells?"

"I'm telling you that no matter what happens, no matter how much I love you, everything I've felt for Edward will never magically disappear."

"Are you still in love with him? Is that what you're telling me?"

"I'm not _in_ love with him. There's a small part of my heart that still cares for him, and always will, but it doesn't mean I don't love _you_ with everything I have in me to give. Loving Edward shaped, in part, who I am today—the woman you love. I can't keep apologizing for it. I don't love him like I used to when I was a teenager, and I know letting go of my life would have been a mistake, but I can't hate him because I love you. Do you understand that?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't like it, but I understand it. I guess it's one of the reasons why I love you so much. You see the good in people, regardless of who they are. That's why you accepted me turning into a giant wolf without blinking."

"Jake?"

"Yup."

"I don't want you to ever think I'm unhappy because of something you _think_ you should have provided us, okay?"

I shrugged.

"I mean it! Our life hasn't been perfect, but what is? Even the Cullens… Shit, there was a time when I thought _they_ were perfect, that their life was perfect, but it was all an illusion. None of them felt being a vampire was good at all. In fact, I know most of them would have traded anything to be human. Rosalie, Emmett, even Edward! They came to help us, to help _me_, but that's not all. I saw it in their eyes. They don't value their existence enough to want to preserve it. Half the time, most of them talked about how death might have been better than the life they were given. Did I ever tell you that?"

I shook my head.

"Especially Carlisle…they only live for each other now. I was like that once, thinking I couldn't live because Edward left. You remember, don't you?"

"I'll never forget."

"I don't ever want to be like that again. I love being alive; I _value_ being alive. I want to fight for my life, not be willing to throw it away. No matter what I have to do for you, for our children, for Charlie, no matter what or who I've lost, I still want to fight for myself, too."

"Bells?"

"Yup?"

"I'm sorry. I've been juvenile. Seeing him here again, and you still caring, it made me jealous. It blinded me."

"I want to stop fighting about Edward. He doesn't mean enough to me for you to think twice about it. I want nothing more to come between us."

"And nothing will."

We still had our blankets wrapped around us. Bella leaned into me, and I held her, keeping her warm.

It had been a long time since we'd spent a warm night on the beach alone. The heat from the embers of the bonfire was still warm.

We turned to face each other, knowing what was on the other's mind. I loved her, flaws and all, and she loved me, too, flaws and all. Everything imperfect about our love was why our love _was_ perfect. Loving each other, _real_ people who made mistakes and who came with baggage and hang-ups, was what made us genuine. We leaned closer to each other, our eyes locked, heavy with anticipation.

It was the kiss I remembered but hadn't had in a long time.

Her lips were soft and hesitant, her breath warm and moist. We were free from the anxiety of little feet coming down the hallway, free of the burden of unhappiness and uncertainty. It was that night eight years ago again—with Jake and Bells in love.

I bent down and kissed her. Everything was right in the world. Her cool fingers explored my flesh, and my senses became blind to everything else around us.

The wind brought with it the scent of damp leaves, and I heard the rustling of tree branches, the snapping of small twigs, and the displacement of the soft earth off the forest floor as a commotion occurred not far from where we were sitting. Loud panting filled my ears.

I pushed Bella onto the sand and quickly stood, ready to attack. Something wasn't right within our borders. A loud crash sounded, and leaves and branches shook. There was growling, yelping...

"Bella, I have to check on something."

"Jake, what is it? I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I think it's the pack, or at least a couple of them. I promise I'll be right back."

I whipped off my shirt while running, slowing only to take off my shoes and shorts just before jumping into the curtain of brush.

I was right—they were wolves, but I didn't need to phase. It was Seth and Leah and the commotion ceased as soon as I appeared.

"What the–" I began, but my words were cut short by what I saw.

When I first approached them, Seth's eyes were wild and frenzied. I had never seen him like that before.

He saw me and calmed down. A wound on his leg was bleeding. Leah must have bitten him at some point. She had been trying to hold him down, but the sandy wolf wasn't a kid anymore. He was almost as big as both me and Sam, and it was obvious Leah would have lost the fight if I hadn't shown up. I wasn't sure if it was because I was Alpha or if whatever was bothering Seth had gone away, but he was passive, lying on the ground panting.

"I hope you have some clothes because I want you to phase back! We're not supposed to be running around as anything other than human! Actually, give me a moment!"

I ran back to where I'd left Bella, and grabbed the two blankets we'd been using. "Everything's fine, Bells. I'll be back in a minute."

When I reached the trees again, the two wolves were still there. The blankets were thrown down as I hissed, "Here, phase back, put these on, and get out to the beach. Bella's alone, and I'm not leaving her out there so I can babysit the two of you."

I turned around and headed back toward the beach, hearing the rustle of leaves as the Clearwaters phased back.

"Jake, hold up! I'm sorry, man! I don't know what came over me!"

"Jesus, Seth! What the hell were you thinking? And what the hell was going on inside your head!" Leah scolded her brother.

I reached Bella. She was sitting on the sand, leaning back on the log and hugging her knees to her body to block out the cool, ocean breeze. I slipped in behind her and wrapped my arms around her. Seth and Leah reached us just as I got settled.

"Okay, someone tell me what's going on!" I demanded.

"He lost his marbles," Leah began, pointing a thumb at her brother, "and then he fucking phased and ran off. I ran after him only to be bombarded with loud, incomprehensible gibberish going through his—I should say _our_—mind! It actually _hurt_!"

I looked to Seth, who shrugged.

"I can't explain it, Jake. I…I felt like my whole life was about to end and a new one was going to take over, one I knew nothing about. It…it felt like I just had to come _here_, in this direction, to keep things the way they are."

"Come here and do _what_?"

He shrugged again, "I'm not sure… I just knew I had to find you and…I don't even know."

"That's great, Seth! You risked everything for an incomprehensible reason!"

"I'm sorry, Jake! It's not like I had control of myself. The wolf…it just…it took over! It…I don't know! I'm sorry, okay?"

"Leah, what was going on in his head?"

"I have no clue, and to be honest, it got to the point where I had to make an effort to block him out because it was starting to hurt. It was strange but somehow eerily familiar…"

"What do you mean familiar?"

"I don't know—that's why I said 'eerily'."

I was going to shoot back a sarcastic remark, but something about this entire scenario seemed familiar to me, too, only I couldn't quite put my finger on why…

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for reading! Reviews always leave me elated and appreciated… Just saying.<em>

_The anonymous contest I'm hosting over at theair-thesun (on LiveJournal) has opened and entries are being accepted. We now have a prize for the winner and have a fabulous guest judge who will select a Judge's Choice! Come take a look. Entries will be available to read once there are enough submissions to maintain anonymity after they are posted. If you're interested in entering, the last day to submit is May 11th. Even if you don't intend to enter, I'm sure it'll be a fun one to read and vote in! All the entries will be 1000 words or less, so it won't take long to read them all!_

_You can find out more at: __theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com/302051(dot)html_

_To check for postings, go to the main community page: theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com_


	15. Chapter 14: Fate Intrudes Again

_Where did we leave off last chapter? Ah, yes, things were beginning to get a little steamy between Jacob and Bella on the beach when lunatic Seth interrupted them. Perhaps he wasn't quite a lunatic, but he certainly wasn't acting like himself. Here, we pick up right where Chapter 13 left off, on the beach, with Jake fuming at Seth._

_Before we begin, I have to thank all those who have helped me with this chapter; it's so much better than what it was when I had fiddled with it alone. _

_First, I'd like to acknowledge the huge role **leelator** (yeah, the How to Seduce a Werewolf chick) had in writing the lemon at the beginning of this chapter. She took my shriveled up clementine and somehow turned it into a bright, juicy lemon! _

_Next, many thanks go out to my ever faithful, always punctual beta, **JaspersDestiny**, who has always been available to go through my chapters, no matter when they get tossed her way. How she can stand to scrutinize for misplaced, or completely missing, commas (among many other things, (unfortunately) without screaming in frustration (or perhaps she does…) is beyond me! _

_And yes, she also contributed vastly to the above-mentioned lemon. I'm beginning to wonder exactly how much of it I actually wrote…_

_And now, the update:_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14—Fate Intrudes Again<strong>

I wasn't thinking straight. It was difficult; blood had only recently begun to flow back into my brain.

"You know what? I don't care why you did this, or what happened, just get the hell out of here, and don't phase anymore!" I shouted at Seth.

"Sorry, Jake."

"Come on, Seth," Leah said, pulling on her brother's arm. "I'll make sure he's all right, Jake. We'll talk in the morning."

"Sure, sure. Thanks, Leah."

I stood on the beach and watched as Leah dragged Seth away into the darkness. He was resistant, wanting to come back.

Bella crept up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. I felt moist, warm breath on my back.

In the distance, Seth turned around and looked in my direction. Leah cursed him and pulled harder on his arm. He argued with her, but in the end she won.

At that point, I didn't give a shit what Seth's problem was; he'd bothered us enough with his interruption.

"Jake, forget Seth. Whatever's up, Leah's capable of taking care of it." Bella took my hand and led me back, stopping short of our log.

I took a step forward and looked out at the ocean. The salty breeze and the sound of Bella's feet shifting in the sand both relaxed and soothed me.

I felt her warmth again as she leaned in to me from behind. She rested her head on my back, and her arms wrapped around my waist. I took her hands in mine, taking comfort in our solitude, and listened as her heart beat faster.

"Jake…" she whispered.

I felt small, light kisses as her lips brushed my back.

"Hmmmm…" I closed my eyes, picturing in my mind Bella's flushed face. All my irritability and stress disappeared.

Bella's fingers gingerly slid to my stomach, but she soon grew bolder as my tension melted at her touch. My body seemed to fascinate her, and she lovingly stroked and played with each ridge of my abdomen.

I stood motionless, wondering what would happen next. Behind me, I felt a vibration; it was her body humming with pleasure. Next, my ribs were caressed, and then she found the grooves of my chest. Ever so gently, her fingertips circled my nipples, and a current of lust shot straight down to my groin, following the flow of my blood.

Those curious hands of hers reversed their direction, sliding down to the edge of my boxers, where they slipped beneath the fabric and began to stroke me. The scent of her desire overwhelmed my senses, making my stomach clench so hard I could barely stand up.

I put my hands on hers and guided them. Her cool fingers blinded me to our surroundings. Nothing seemed important except for Bella, her needs, and the way her hands felt on me.

With all the willpower I had, I moved her hands away so I could face her, and then I leaned down for a gentle kiss. Sweet touches quickly became something very different as we explored each other with our mouths.

My arm wrapped around her shoulder and the other reached behind her knees, and I lifted her off the ground. She squealed, and the silly, girlish noise caused my heart to skip a beat. God, the fact that she was happy, that she wanted me as much as I wanted her…nothing could mean more to me.

As I carried her over our driftwood log, I kicked around the blankets and spread them flat again. I lowered her slowly, my knees holding on even though they felt like jelly.

Bella lay on her back—her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen, and her eyes never leaving mine. I couldn't wait another moment, and I didn't want to. Her dress cooperated, but her panties did not. I slipped them to the side so I could nuzzle her, breathing her in even more directly. She smelled so damn good. A second later, I smiled as I tore her underwear away and my mouth became full of Bella.

She wanted me—more than she had in a long time. I was dizzy with the hunger I could smell and taste in her.

Bella's fingers ran through my hair before forming into tight fists.

"Jake…please…kiss me…"

I made a low, quiet humming sound as my tongue delved further.

"Jake…inside…make me warm, Jake, please…"

With one swift movement, I slid her dress up and over her head to reveal soft, pink flesh. The fabric tangled around her wrists above her head binding them together.

I grabbed the twisted cotton in one hand and trailed my other hand down her shoulders, breast, and stomach, ending between her thighs. My lips moved to hers, our tongues teasing each other, and her fingers reached for my boxers again, pulling on them, letting me know she wanted them off.

Two seconds later, they were gone, and Bella's fingers grabbed and gently squeezed me as she guided me towards her aching heat.

It slipped and slid as she rubbed me back and forth against her. Her gasps and her sighs drove me to the edge and back. The tension between us built, and my entire body contracted as though I might break from the sweet torture until I was finally inside her. Every movement, every thrust was pure ecstasy.

"Jake…" She breathed against my shoulder.

"Bells…" I panted, my face buried in her hair.

I was drunk on pleasure, agonized by the need for release, but unwilling to let the moment end.

Her back arched, and she struggled against me, pushing against my hand that was holding down her wrists. Every limb, every muscle in Bella stiffened.

"Jake! Jake! Ugh…"

I gritted my teeth, not wanting it to be over but knowing it was impossible to resist the release.

Our life, our world, it swirled around me in a kaleidoscope of colors. We were ourselves again. The force that had bound us together eight years ago was bringing us back from whatever had divided us.

* * *

><p>Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. We had expected to either hear back from the Cullens or get hauled away by the FBI or the CIA, but life went on as though nothing had ever happened.<p>

Sam and Emily's baby girl was born a month after the bonfire in July, Kim and Jared's son came a few days before Halloween, Rachel was due on Christmas, and Joshua was partway through his junior year in high school.

The chaos of the summer had died down. After a turbulent barrage of worldwide bombings, deaths, and abductions, things began to peter out. After September, such events occurred less frequently, and reports of "sightings" declined drastically. Since Halloween, nothing more had been reported, and it seemed as though most of the public had lost interest in a danger that appeared to have been eradicated, if it ever truly existed at all.

Certainly, there were those who adamantly believed the government was keeping information from the public, but most lumped this minority in with those who believed in alien abductions.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, I dropped off our three children at Charlie and Sue's before returning home to help Bella with some food. She was planning to bring it for dinner at her Dad's later. Rachel, Paul, Seth, Leah, and my Dad would be there as well.

"Bells?" I called. There was no noise, which was odd. When I had left, the kitchen was a disaster with food, utensils, and various pots and pans.

I followed the sound of Bella's heart to the living room, where I found her on the couch, asleep. Her apron was still on, and her hands were dusty with flour.

"Bells?" I said again, nudging her gently. "I'm here to help, honey. You're not finished already, are you?"

"Hmmm?" She stirred, still groggy, but then her eyes popped open. "Jake! Oh, no, I must have fallen asleep!" She jumped up and looked around, confused. "What time is it? I…I just wanted to sit down for a minute while the dough was rising. I was so tired…"

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" I asked.

"Yeah, like a baby. I don't know why I'm so tired."

"Why don't you put me to work while you go upstairs and take a shower? That should wake you up."

"I don't know… I still have the salad to make, and the buns have to be shaped and baked."

"Give me directions, and I'll handle it. I'm good with directions."

"Okay…"

In typical Bella fashion, she wrote down every minute detail of every step before heading upstairs. In all honesty, I wondered if it would have been faster for her to just do it herself.

I looked at the list she'd left me. There were thirty-two steps to make dough into buns and vegetables into salad. I smiled, shook my head, and got to work.

Thirty minutes later, I heard footsteps descending the stairs.

"Ugh! I can't believe it! It's the only good dress I have."

"What's up, hon?" I called from the kitchen.

She walked in and reached awkwardly behind her. "It's this dress. The zipper won't go up. I think I've gained some weight since the last time I wore it."

"You look the same as you did the day I met you."

She rolled her eyes before turning her back to me. "Here, can you try? Maybe I'm grabbing it the wrong way."

"Sure, sure."

I really tried. Bella had never had issues with her weight, and I didn't want her to become self-conscious about it, but that damn zipper wouldn't go up. It got to the point where I was pulling the fabric together so hard that I could see the seams stretching.

"I'm sorry, Bells, but it won't close. Maybe it shrunk when you washed it?"

"No, if that's what happened, there would be puckering along some of the seams, and there aren't any."

"I'm sure whatever you wear will be great. It's a family gathering, so no one's expected to get dressed up."

"I know… I just wanted to look nice for the holidays." She let out a sigh. "I guess I'll wear a skirt and blouse."

I watched her as she walked away, still beautiful as always even if she wasn't quite graceful. As I studied her, it appeared to me that she _had_ filled out a little; she was no longer so skinny. She looked curvier around the hips. I started thinking, and I remembered she had been eating more than usual the last few months and… No, that wasn't possible… But when? Ever since Carlisle had told us we were up against the supernatural, I'd been careful to use condoms as well. Every time that was, except that one day on the beach. But even then—

"Bells?" I made my way upstairs. "Bella?"

"Yes, Jake?" she replied.

"When was the last time you had your period?"

"I guess it's been a while, but I haven't been regular since the miscarriage. To be honest, I haven't been keeping track…" Her voice became quiet, more hesitant, as she trailed off. "You don't think… I mean, what are the _chances_?"

"I don't know, but—look, do you have any pregnancy tests left over from before?"

"I might have one." She rifled through a drawer and produced a little box. "Here, it hasn't expired yet." She ran into the bathroom with it and returned shortly after.

We didn't say a word as we sat on the bed watching the two little blue lines grow darker and darker.

"It's positive," she said.

"It's only been thirty seconds! The instructions say to wait three minutes."

"Jake, it can take _up_ to three minutes for two lines to appear, but two isn't going to turn into one. It doesn't happen that way."

"How do you know? The instructions don't say anything about that." I began frantically unfolding the piece of paper, scanning it for information.

"Jake, it just doesn't, okay?"

"Well… How much time has it been?"

"About one or two minutes. If you want to wait, go right ahead, but I've got things to do. How long have the buns been in the oven?"

"The ones I put in today or the one I put in on the Fourth of July?" I grumbled as we made our way downstairs.

"It can't be from back then! That would make me about five months pregnant!"

"You never get all that big, Bells—and what you _did_ gain those other times was gained mostly in the last three months."

"But I haven't been nauseous, or anything!"

"Maybe it's different this time. Don't they say every pregnancy's different?"

"Yeah," she answered, defeated, "but that would mean it's ectopic again… Why hasn't something happened yet, like last time?"

"I've heard there have been instances where an egg somehow finds its way into the uterus even after the woman's had her tubes tied."

"What are the chances that…" She stopped herself. Sighing in resignation, she sat down on a chair. There was no point. If it were _remotely_ possible, it had probably happened. "How are we going to afford—"

"It'll be fine." I knelt down and took her hands in mine. "We've got this baby thing down to a T now, and we still have all the stuff from Serena. I bet we won't have to buy a thing, other than diapers."

"I guess…"

"And you'll have Emily, Kim, and Rach to commiserate and have play dates with. You won't be cooped up all alone like you were with the others."

The isolation with a newborn baby had always been difficult for Bella.

"Living in La Push will make it easier, too, with Charlie and Sue so close. And don't forget Billy," she added. "I guess it won't be so bad."

"That's my girl. See, I told you! Wow, five months! We don't have much time. What are we going to name the kid?"

"God, I have no idea. Why do you think I let you, Leah, and Seth name the three we have? I couldn't think of anything I thought would be good enough."

"Well, that does it, then. You _have_ to come up with the name this time."

"Oh, Jake, don't! That's not fair!"

"It totally _is_ fair!"

"If you force me, I'm going to end up giving our child some horrible name that'll haunt him forever."

"Or her."

"Or her."

"What kind of 'horrible' are we talking about here?" Now that I was thinking about it, I thought about all those old English books she used to read and regretted giving her veto on the names. "Not friggin' Heathcliff, or something, right?"

She smiled slyly at me. "Why, is there something wrong with _Heathcliff_?"

"Why don't we pick a family name? That'll make it easy."

"We can't fit everyone into one name, and if we don't, it won't be fair! Besides, none of the other children have family names, except their middle names."

"We have four months before we need to come up with something—lots of time!"

"I'd like a name that begins with a vowel."

"Really? That's what matters to you—what _letter_ the name begins with, and not even a specific letter but a _vowel_?"

"Yes! Names that begin with a vowel have a different feel, especially when the last name begins with a consonant."

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"I said it eight years ago, and I'm going to say it again: _you_ are a nerd."

She threw a hot bun at me. I caught it and shoved it into my mouth.

"If you're done stuffing your face, we have to get going."

By the time we reached Sue and Charlie's, everyone else had already arrived. Bella went to check on the kids while I dropped off the food. Seth had brought Josh—the two of them had become good friends despite the age difference—and they were talking in the kitchen.

"Okay, what else?" Seth asked. He was talking to Josh.

"She's sort of tall, not a giant but more than average. I guess like Jake's sister. Yeah...about that height." Josh gestured with his hand.

"I don't care about her _height_! Do you know who she _is_?"

"Hey, Josh, Seth," I greeted them. "I didn't know there was more headway on the imprint thing."

I hadn't been paying much attention to be honest. Seth had been nagging Josh for months now, and the rest of us had learned to tune him out.

"Yeah, Josh has been able to find out a lot more about her. Seems like every month there's something new."

"Not really. I mean, she's clearer now. I think she hasn't been born yet, but I know what she looks like. I still don't have a name yet, or anything else to identify her."

"Ugh! This is so frustrating! I want to live a normal life! Why couldn't I be like Brady, dating a girl he picked for himself like a regular guy?"

"Sorry, Seth," Joshed said apologetically.

"Seth, give the kid a break. I'm sure he'll tell you the minute he finds out. Right, Josh?"

"You bet!"

"It's not your fault. Sorry, didn't mean to get upset with you."

"Come on, you two, I think Sue wanted someone to get firewood."

* * *

><p>Dinner was great, the company even better, and seeing Bella happy and relaxed, regardless of what we'd found out earlier, was the best.<p>

The two of us volunteered to clear the table, so we were left alone in the kitchen for a short while as we loaded the dishwasher.

"So, I thought of a name—actually, two—one if it's a girl and another if it's a boy. I'm not sure if you're going to like them though…"

"Come on, hit me with your worst."

"Well…if it's a boy, I like Oliver."

"Okay… I'm rooting for a girl right now."

"Jake!" She slapped my arm playfully.

"Ow! Okay, we'll discuss that later. What's the girl name?"

"For a girl, I like Ava."

"Ava? Hmmm, that's not bad."

"Does that mean you're in agreement with that one?"

"Sure, I'm good with Ava."

"Seth!" Josh yelled from the other room. "Seth!"

Bella and I looked at each other, confused, and headed out together.

"I know her _name_!" he yelled again.

Damn, the kid had to remember that Charlie was here.

"Whose name?" Charlie asked, as if on cue.

"Err…ah…"

"Just some girl Seth's been trying to ask out," I interjected. "Josh goes to school with her younger brother." I glared at Josh and pulled him in toward the kitchen. "Hey, can you and Seth give us a hand?"

"Uh…sure!"

"Okay."

Once inside, I hissed in a quiet voice, "You have to be careful. This isn't like at Sam and Emily's."

"I know, I know," Josh replied. "I got excited. It's never happened like that before! Usually I get hints, like sounds…or pictures of stuff, but this time I both heard_ and _saw the name!"

"Okay, okay, spit it out! What's her name? Did you get a last name?" Seth asked anxiously.

"No, just a first name."

"I'll take it!"

"It's Ava."

"No!" Bella shouted.

"No? How would you…?" A light went on in Seth's head just then. "No…but it can't be! I…shit!"

_Shit_ pretty much summed up the entire situation.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!<em>

_NEWS:_

_LJ Summers wrote a rec for one of my one shots, The Dark Man and the Pale Man, for Wolfpack Wednesdays on the Fictionators! You can read it here: _

_www(dot)fictionators(dot)com/rec/the-dark-man-and-the-pale-man-by-light4dawn/_

_The next update will be less than one week, but not much less. I don't know exactly which day it will be, sorry. _

_Any of you writers who haven't submitted their entry for theair-thesun's Anonymous Musical Prompt Drabble Shot Contest yet, get moving! May 11th is just around the corner. When the stories begin posting, they will be posted in the order received, so the earlier you submit, the closer you will be to the top of the list!_

_You can find information about the contest and how to submit here:_

_theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com_


	16. Chapter 15: On a Need to Know Basis

_In Chapter 14, we left off with Jacob and Bella at a Thanksgiving dinner with family, where they discover that Bella is (miraculously) pregnant (you can assume it is not ectopic this time—yes, rare, but it can happen) and that the baby will become Seth's imprint. Did you think this was good news or bad news? There are many ways to look at it, and from some of the comments, many of you are glass-half-full gals! Read to find out the characters' perspectives on this new development._

_Before we begin, I have to thank my beta, **JaspersDestiny**. This story started off with a rough start, having been through a couple of other betas before she came along. And what a wonderful beta she has been! Really, all of you guys have to thank her. You'd be so distracted by all my errors if it weren't for her!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 15 – On a Need to Know Basis<strong>

Bella would never admit to having favorites, but I knew that out of everyone in the pack, Seth was hers—emphasis on "was".

There would be nearly twenty-two years between Seth and Ava, once she was born. At what point would _that_ be acceptable? When she was thirty or thirty-five? What if she fell in love with someone else before then? Would Seth end up being thrown into a similar situation as his sister?

Seth was part of our family. He was Charlie's stepson, Bella's stepbrother, and our children's uncle. How can Ava marry _Uncle_ _Seth_? Under which circumstances would anyone, including Ava, accept Uncle Seth pursuing her romantically? The more I envisioned it, the more I came to think of Seth as a letch, which was both undeserved and impossible.

Christmas was horrible. Seth was quiet and withdrawn, and he kept whispering "sorry" every time our paths crossed. Leah and Sue wore glum expressions the whole time. Sometimes, Sue appeared close to tears. Charlie knew something was up but couldn't figure out what it was. Of course, in classic Charlie fashion, he didn't ask, choosing to wait instead.

Once the New Year rolled around, Seth stopped coming by. He had once been a fixture in our home, but now we didn't even receive phone calls from him.

I knew we couldn't go on like this forever. Seth, Bella, and I needed to talk, the earlier the better. It was a discussion we dreaded having, and it was still foremost in my thoughts when Valentine's Day came around.

I wasn't in much of a mood for celebrating, but I couldn't let the day pass without getting something for Bella. Somehow, I had ended up at the Thriftway in Forks, in front of an overdone display of chocolates. As I perused the selection, I realized none were right for her.

"You really think that's what it was?" It was Seth's voice. Where was he? He sounded fairly close.

Even after nearly a year without phasing, our senses were still superhumanly acute. They weren't the same as before but still enough to be considered bizarre.

"Sure, what other reason could there be for it? She's due at the end of March. That means the baby was conceived in early July." Josh? What did _he_ know about pregnancy and conception? In fact, what did _either_ of them know, or care, about when our child was conceived?

"Even if part of me—subconsciously or whatever—knew that's what was happening, it doesn't explain why I reacted that way!"

"I think you were trying to stop your imprint from being conceived. Didn't your sister see it in your head that night?"

"No. The only thing she remembers is that I was hard to read, and trying was too painful for her. She said I was all animal, or something."

"We could ask Jake, to be sure–"

"No way! I can barely _look_ at him without feeling like a perv. Besides, what difference does it make? Knowing won't make it go away."

"Yeah, I guess…"

I had forgotten about that day. So much had happened since then. Sure, Leah, Seth, and I had talked afterward, but we hadn't come up with much other than that it seemed similar to what I had experienced eight years earlier.

None of it made sense to me. Josh's theory might apply for Seth, but not for me. If our moments of craziness were the same, shouldn't the _reason_ be the same as well? When it had happened to me, _I_ actually had a _reason_ to be insanely upset. It had happened the night Bella had gone to say goodbye to Edward, and… No! It _couldn't_ be… I didn't like the direction my thoughts were drifting because _that_ wasn't biologically possible! Or was it?

It was too much. I had to leave. I put down whatever was in my hand and headed for the doors. As I reached the check-out, I saw Seth and Josh. Both nervously waved as we made our way to each other.

"Sorry, Jake," Seth mumbled.

"Stop apologizing."

"Sorry."

"We'll work this out, Seth. There's a solution… We just haven't thought of it yet."

"You don't need to worry about that. I've already decided what to do."

"You have?"

"Yeah, I'm moving away. I got a job in New York, and I'm moving there. I'll call and give you plenty of warning whenever I come to visit Mom."

"Why didn't you talk to us first? You don't have to leave… I mean, you should have talked to us!"

"What was the point?"

"So, what does this mean? We're _never_ going to see you again?"

Seth shrugged. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

"There's no other way, Jake," he replied, "I can't…not with my _niece_. And I don't care if we're not related by blood… What would Charlie think? What would _she_ think? We've all been in Quil's head. He's trying, but he can't stay away forever. The minute Claire's all grown up, he's going to be part of her life. She won't get a chance to find anyone else—to _be_ anything else. She's going to be his imprint, tied to him until the day she dies."

It was true. None of us talked about it, but we all knew. It didn't matter that Quil _wasn't_ attracted to Claire in that way _right now_. The writing was on the wall, and we knew what he was waiting for. He _lived_ to have her become the center of his universe.

"When are you leaving?"

"In a week."

"A _week_? The kids'll want to have a party for you or something… I mean, what about the rest of the guys?"

"I have to leave before the baby's born. If I'm here, Charlie will wonder why I won't visit to meet her. The guys know already…Mom, too. You're the last one."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I…I don't know. I guess I was afraid to bring the topic up. And I knew it would be hard. I'll miss you a lot—you, Bella, the kids…" Seth let out a sigh. "Everyone else I'll see again, but with you guys…it'll never be the same. You know that."

Seth's eyes were red, and I knew mine were, too.

"What if Josh is wrong? What if it's some other girl?"

"I see her really clearly now, Jake," Josh said. "I know exactly what she'll look like, as well as her full name—first, last, even her middle name. I've seen the life she'll soon have, and the people she'll live with… I see _you_, Jake, holding her."

"Okay, fine, so it's her…but look, Seth, it's not fair to you. No one should be forced to move away from everyone they know and love."

"_Ava_ shouldn't be forced into a relationship with an old man who happens to be her _uncle_!" he hissed in a voice laced with bitterness. Before that moment, I had never known Seth to possess rancor, not even in his thoughts.

"You're still family to us. You and I don't need to lose touch. We're brothers. _I'll_ be here when you visit Sue and Leah, even if the rest of my family can't."

"Yeah." He didn't sound convinced.

"I have to be somewhere, but we should talk before you leave. And I have something I need to find out from you."

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to know?"

"Not here. It's sort of related to what you two were talking about before. Can you meet me later?"

"Do you want me there, too, Jake?" Josh asked.

I was going to say no but changed my mind. Who knew? He might have insight into the situation that we didn't have. No one understood how his ability worked, since we had never been in his head. Having Josh there might also allow us to find out once and for all if he was part of our pack.

"Actually, Josh, yeah. And Seth, can you ask Leah to come?"

"Okay… What should I tell her?"

"That there's something I need to figure out. We can meet at my dad's place."

"When?"

"Are you free tonight, nine o'clock?"

"Yeah, I'll call if Leah can't make it."

"All right, thanks."

We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

I left the store, so preoccupied by the thoughts swimming in my mind that I forgot to get something for Bella, which I realized only a few blocks from our house. In a panic, I rushed over to the La Push corner store. Of course, my options there were canned tuna or a bag of chips. I had just resigned myself to apologizing profusely and offering a lifetime of servitude when I noticed a display of conversation hearts. Nothing like being saved by sentiment!

I paid for it and ran out, anxious to get home.

The evening was nice. The children had a lot of fun decorating their cupcakes, and Bella was close to tears when she opened up the paper bag containing the conversation hearts.

Afterwards, I told her I had to do something with some of the guys. I had expected grief, especially considering it was Valentine's Day, but surprisingly, she wasn't upset at all. Something wasn't sitting right with me, though. Bella didn't like secrets—unless she had one of her own.

"Bells?" I asked gently. "Did something happen today?"

She looked at me, surprised. "Nothing _happened_," she replied.

"Okay…nothing _happened_, but you learned something, is that it?" Whatever it was, she didn't _want_ to keep it a secret.

She nodded but said nothing.

"Am I supposed to guess?"

"Oh…I might as well tell you. You're going to find out soon enough."

"Find out what?"

"It's Emily, Jake—she's sick."

"What do you mean sick? Is the baby all right?" Emily had announced at Christmas that she and Sam were expecting their second child in the summer. She was supposed to have gone for her first pre-natal visit and ultrasound right after the holidays.

"There's no baby, Jake."

"What do you mean? Did she miscarry?"

"It's a molar pregnancy, and it's cancerous—metastatic, to top it all off."

"What…? I don't understand."

"It's sort of not a real pregnancy, not one that can develop into a child, and it's both invasive and cancerous. There's treatment, but she may never be able to have children again, if she lives."

"Why didn't Sam tell me? I had no clue…"

"I only found out by chance. I bumped into her today, and we started talking, but then she burst into tears. Eventually, she told me what's been going on. They were broken hearted and worried about it. She and Sam aren't ready to tell anyone yet."

"How can things change so much, so soon? At Christmas, she and Sam were the happiest people I'd seen…and that was less than two months ago!"

And three months ago, Seth was Bella's brother, our friend, and our children's uncle, never to leave our lives—or so we thought.

"I know, Jake." She gave me a hug and nudged me towards the door. "We'll talk later. Nothing's going to change in the next little while. Why don't you get going… I know whatever it is, it's important."

"I'm sorry, Bells, but I just can't–"

"It's okay. I know you'll tell me if I need to know."

I placed my hand on her cheek, and she leaned into it, her eyes closed. "I love you, Bells."

"I love you, too, Jake. Come back soon."

"Always."

We parted, not knowing what the future held.

* * *

><p>The feeling of uncertainty still loomed over me when I arrived at my dad's. Seth, Josh, and Leah were inside the house waiting for me. Dad and I shared nods before I left with the others for the garage. It was nice not having to lie to him. The unbearable was a little easier to endure because of it.<p>

"Okay, so what did you need, Jacob?" Leah asked solemnly. For months, no one had heard the usual snide, sarcastic tone that had once been her trademark.

"I need you to stand watch outside. Josh, Seth, and I are going to phase in here."

"Why?" Josh asked uneasily.

"I need to be sure about something, and the only way is for me and Seth to share our thoughts."

"It's about the crazy episodes, isn't it?" Leah said. I nodded.

"Why _me_, though?" Josh asked. "I wasn't there for either."

"No, you weren't, but you think it has something to do with imprints, and _you're_ our imprint expert."

"I don't know… It's been a long time for me, and no one knows if I'll be part of your pack."

"Look, Josh, Seth and I are here for you. I know in my heart you'll be in our minds. You're a descendent of Levi Uley, the same as Sam. There's no reason you _wouldn't_ be part of our brotherhood."

"Yeah, but my mom wasn't Quileute."

"Neither is Embry's."

"I'll try…but if I'm not in your head, I'm changing back right away."

"Okay, you have a deal."

It had been a long time, but the transformation was easy, as though I had never stopped.

"Okay, Josh, you're next," Seth encouraged.

"I…I'm not sure I remember how."

"I'll talk you through it, okay?"

Josh nodded.

He became the striking white wolf as smoothly as I became mine. The grey markings he had around his head were gone now, though.

_It was dirt._

_Josh, I __**knew**__ you'd be with us!_ I replied.

The white wolf nodded, and Seth phased too.

_How do you feel?_ Seth asked.

_Weird, but…**right**. I've never had anyone in my head like this, except Aro, but that was different because it was only one way, and…_

_It's okay, Josh_, I reassured him. _You're one of us, remember? We're all the same here._

_Yeah, I know…_

_Okay, back to business. Seth, I want to see that night, back on the Fourth of July. _

_Sure, Jake._

His experience of that night flooded our minds. We were in the moment, feeling what he felt, as though it were happening right then and there. Halfway through, _my_ memories from the night eight years ago seeped into the pack collective. We saw the two events simultaneously and knew they were one and the same.

Josh, incredibly, had tremendous control over his thoughts, and I had to specifically _ask_ to find out what I needed to know.

_Josh?_

_Yeah, Jake?_

_Do you feel anything? Do you have any more insight into what this is all about?_

_It's what I said earlier. You and Seth—or at least your wolves—knew deep down that your imprints were going to be conceived those nights._

_Why were we trying to stop it from happening? And how come __**we**__ didn't know that at the time? _Seth asked_._

_I don't know why you didn't know, but I **do** know why your wolf stopped it._

Instead of telling us, he showed us. Josh's ability went further, deeper, than any of us had imagined. He was the shaman of imprinting. It was as if our ancestors had delivered him to us to fill in the holes and correct the errors in our oral histories.

Our subconscious, our wolves—or whatever weird-ass power it was that took us over—had been aware our imprints would be conceived the nights of our "episodes". A part of us wanted to preserve the happiness of our current lives, not wanting to be irreversibly changed, whereas the other part fought to ensure what was meant to belong to the wolf would be born. That part, driven by animal instinct, was possessive, feral, and pretty damn scary.

The conflicting agendas created a struggle that took over, making everything else—everything _human_—vanish. We became lost in an uncontrolled abyss complete with rage, panic, and hysteria. It explained why Leah felt she was looking into the mind of an animal both times, since that's exactly what we had become.

That begged the question… How could Edward, a _vampire_, father my imprint?

_Are you sure that's what it was for me, too, Josh?_

_You know I'm sure, Jake. You **see** what I see._

I did.

* * *

><p>We returned to our human selves, got dressed, and made our way out silently. Leah was waiting for us, and we gave her an abbreviated recap, reserving the weirder shit for later. The first thing we did was go to her place, where we diligently glued our eyes to her computer screen and began our search.<p>

We found a few stories about male vampires impregnating human women. This particular kind of leech even had a name: incubus. Sure, it sounded like a story out of a cheesy horror film, but so did a lot of other things in our lives.

"You're not going to tell Bella, are you?" Leah asked.

"No, I can't. It'd be too much for her. She's already pretty upset about this thing with Seth, but if she were to find out I was supposed to imprint on a kid _she_ might have had with… That's just _too_ fucked up."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"Well, at least you know why she kept having babies," Josh tossed out casually.

"What?"

"You didn't see that in my thoughts?"

"NO! And why _didn't_ we?"

He shrugged. "I don't know… I wasn't trying to keep it from you."

"I saw it, right before we phased back," Seth replied.

"Maybe I was already human?"

"I don't think so…"

"Okay, it doesn't matter. Tell me now."

"Bella was meant to produce an imprint. I don't understand why. I mean, _she's_ not someone's imprint or Quileute, but that's the reason why she kept getting pregnant. When she didn't give birth to…your imprint, her…body, or whatever, kept trying until it happened."

"Can this shit get _any_ weirder?" I exclaimed in frustration.

"That's what I said when I first turned into a giant wolf," Josh mumbled, "and it did."

* * *

><p>I thought about telling Bella, I really did, but I couldn't. I debated with myself all the way home. By the time I walked in the front door, I was convinced honesty was the best thing. Then, I <em>saw<em> her.

It was late, but she was up waiting for me. The moment our eyes met, I knew Bella could see the horror and confusion that was burdening me. Her eyes revealed a fading hope for normalcy—they begged for ignorance. That was why I changed my mind. Bella had never _not_ wanted to know, ever, but it was all her eyes were asking of me now.

"You're up," I said.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Sorry I'm so late. We were–"

"Is anything going to change for us?"

"Nothing _has_ to."

"Good. Let's go to sleep."

She turned and headed for the stairs, not waiting for a reply. I watched as she climbed up, expecting her to change her mind, but she never looked back.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks, everyone, for reading and reviewing! Have you not left a review yet? Well, you still have an opportunity. Reviews make it all worthwhile for me!<em>

_For those of you who write, or want to try your hand at writing, I'm hosting a contest over at theair-thesun on LiveJournal (yes, I know, old news)._

_It's for new stories that are longer than usual drabbles but shorter than your average one shot (it's been named drabble-shot!). Write a 500–to-1000-word J/B story. It can be AU, AH, Canon, OOC…whatever you prefer. _

_Visit: _theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com/302051(dot)html_ for details and dates!_

_One last bit of news: I've been nominated for two categories in the iSparkle awards! My story, Ascent from Darkness, is nominated for The Screamer's Award, and I am nominated for The Underdog Award. Voting is open until May 11th. You can see all the nominees and categories here:_

_theisparkleawards(dot)moonfruit(dot)com/#/nominees/4562312492_


	17. Chapter 16: Acceptance

_We're coming to the home stretch. There is only one more update after this one. Thank you, readers, especially those who have remained faithful to this story from the confusing start, the myriad of strange happenings, and the multiple plot twists and turns. I hope things have come together and those tangents are now making sense._

_Thank you, **JaspersDestiny**! I'm ecstatic this story is coming to an end but sad I have to return you to Sparkly Red Pen. Hey, do you guys know she helps run this funny site (blog? Don't know the difference) called Fellowsheep of the Peen/Wordy Bitches (and I thought **I** was opinionated…)? Admittedly, I'm not a regular there, but I read this article not long ago, and it had me rolling with laughter! Here's the link: _wordybitches(dot)com/?p=10390__

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><p><strong>Chapter 16 — Acceptance<strong>

It didn't take long before everyone found out about Emily. The good news was that her treatments appeared to be working, and her doctor was optimistic she'd be fine. As for her and Sam having more children, they'd have to wait and see.

Seth moved away a week later, as he had planned. Trevor and Lola were broken up about it and didn't understand why Uncle Seth had to live so far away.

Leah decided imprinting was the root of all evil and burned her passport, swearing she'd never venture north of Forks, ever.

For me and Bella, the bittersweet happenings around us faded into the background as the arrival of our new baby neared.

Ava was born on the first day of spring, and she brought light to the greyness that clouded our lives. Bella had an easier pregnancy and delivery with her than she had with the others. In fact, it only took a week for Bella to feel well enough to introduce our new daughter to all our friends.

Sue threw a shower for us so everyone could meet Ava together. It was the first time all of us were in one place at the same time since the Fourth of July. Of course, there was one notable absence—Seth.

This was the day I found out that Leah's angry tirade about imprinting was closer to the truth than I had imagined.

The gathering began with smiles, jokes, and a lot of oohing and ahhing. It wasn't until we were all settled down, ready to open presents, that I noticed something was wrong. Sam wasn't the same. At first, I thought I was imagining it.

As usual, he was attentive toward Emily, always holding her hand or rubbing her back. If someone were to ask me, I wouldn't be able to come up with a convincing explanation for my worry. Everything was subtle, but I just _knew_.

The only times Sam smiled at Emily were when she looked at him. As soon as Emily's attention was diverted to something else, Sam's smile seemed to fade. He also watched Leah's movements every chance he got, and he took his eyes off her all too suddenly when he sensed she had noticed his stares.

To _my_ eyes, it seemed like he was aching for Leah, and showing affection towards Emily was an effort for him. But he had _imprinted_ on Emily. For years, I had seen his complete devotion to her in his thoughts. There was never any denying that bond.

As the gathering began to wind down, I noticed Sam glancing back and forth between Embry and me. I met his stare, and Sam subtly jerked his head, signaling that he'd like to speak with me. I followed him into the kitchen with a handful of dirty plates.

"What's up, Sam?" I asked.

"I need to talk to you. Embry, too," Sam whispered in my ear. It was barely audible, even with my wolf hearing.

"Okay, shoot," I replied. Sam made a gesture with his hand, indicating I should follow his example and keep myself from being overheard.

"No, in private—and phased."

"Phased? You know we can't—"

"Jake, I know you already have. Josh told me. He knows everything, so we can have him come and keep watch. Why don't we meet over at your dad's place later tonight, around ten. Can you do that?"

I nodded, sure that it wouldn't be good news.

Sam and I returned to the other room and joined the others, acting as though nothing had happened. I cornered Embry and let him know what was going on. It didn't feel right keeping things from the rest of the pack. For years, it was _impossible_ to have secrets, and now so much had become a secret. The rest of the party passed in slow motion for me as I counted down the minutes and seconds until we could leave.

Once home, Bella and I put the children to bed and then sat down to relax. When ten o'clock rolled around, I told Bella I had to leave to meet with Sam.

She met my eyes, searching to determine what it was about without actually asking. Whatever look I had, it made her decide she didn't want to know.

"Okay," she said—and that was it, no questions.

"Thanks, Bells." I gave her a kiss and made my way to the front door.

"Jacob?" she called from the living room.

"Yes, hon?"

"Come back."

"Always."

The short walk through the rez to my childhood home felt ominous. The dark, starless night only added to the dread I felt.

Embry, Sam, and Josh were waiting outside the garage when I arrived. Sam nodded at me, and the three of us made our way inside while Josh remained on the other side of the door.

Sam didn't waste any time. He was undressed and phased before Embry and I had taken off our shoes. Once we were all wolves, our minds became one, just the way it had been so many times before.

_What's up, Sam?_ Embry asked.

_Stop looking for your imprint, and if you won't, at least use the knowledge you've learned to keep away from her,_ Sam urged.

_I don't understand. Why would you say that?_

In reply, Sam showed us what had happened to him and Emily.

We saw his memories of doctors' visits, where the likelihood of survival and retaining Emily's fertility were discussed. Embry and I felt Sam's pain and love for her and the undying devotion we knew was a result of the imprint. It was a familiar feeling.

Then came _the_ day. Sam had worked overtime and arrived home after Emily had gone to sleep. From the moment he entered the house, something felt wrong. The urge to rush up to Emily's side and touch her was missing. It made him think about his love for her, and that seemed different, too. He cared for her, but the _need_ to have her was missing.

Sam did rush up the stairs, but he did so out of alarm. He opened the door quietly and stood by the bedside watching Emily as she slept. When he saw her face, it wasn't the same as it had been. Her scars stood out, no longer faded by the subjectivity of love. Emily's still beautiful hair and figure were noted, but no more so than any of us would have.

The imprint had broken.

_How? Why?_ I asked.

Again, we heard the doctor speak.

"_There is the likelihood you may not be able to bear children."_

"_That doesn't matter, doctor, as long as Emily lives,"_ Sam had said.

"_We will do our best. As for Emily's fertility, we won't know right way. At some point, we can do tests that will give us a better indication, but the only way to be sure would be if you tried to get pregnant."_

_I don't get it,_ Embry said.

_Emily is barren now. She doesn't know it, and neither does the doctor, but I do—or at least my wolf does. _

_Are you saying the imprint breaks when you can't have kids?_

_Yes, Jacob, that's what I'm saying. Seth did the right thing, and you have to make sure Ava never meets him, or this will happen to them as well._

_But how come it didn't happen when _your_ fertility was affected?_

_I'm not sure, maybe because that was reversible, or maybe the bond only breaks when the imprint becomes sterile, not the wolf?_

_What about the others…Collin, Quil, Jared…aw, shit! Rachel! She's my _sister_!_

_Chances are, nothing will happen to them until the girls reach menopause, and that's decades away._

_I can't _not_ tell Rach! She needs to know what lies ahead. It's not fair to let her stay in a relationship with Paul when we know it won't last! I can't sit back and watch her be abandoned the moment she gets old!_

_She won't be. Paul's a good man, and so are Jared, Quil, and Collin. They'll make the same decision I've made, but we can't tell them. Telling them now would be wrong. They deserve a chance at happiness, even if it doesn't last forever. And I'm not _unhappy_._

He wasn't. Sam still respected and cared for Emily. Although the intensity was gone, none of this would have been a terrible hardship if it weren't for Leah. That's when Embry and I saw the pain.

He let us into his mind and his heart. Leah was the cause of his sadness because he had experienced _real_ love with her. He knew what that felt like, and he knew _this_ wasn't anywhere close to it. The change in his relationship with Emily would have been easier to accept if not for his first love. The passion, affection, and aching sorrow he felt for Leah reminded him of what was missing with Emily now that the bond was gone.

_We should tell Leah, too, Sam._

_She's already trying to avoid her imprint at all costs. Besides, this may not happen to her. Theoretically, a man's fertility can last indefinitely, and _she's_ the wolf, not the imprint._

_How did Josh find out about all this?_

_Josh knew the moment the imprint broke. He tried to reach me at work, but I was busy and couldn't take his calls. I found out the next day why he'd been so eager to talk to me. He's got some powerful talent. The kid sees a lot more than we thought._

_Yeah, I know. I just wish all this was something good, not… Fuck, isn't there _anything_ good about being a wolf?_

_Hey, Jake, it's not all bad, _Embry said reassuringly_._

_I know, but it doesn't feel right to keep this from the guys and my sister! Shit, poor Rachel!_

_At least no one's phasing anymore, and we don't have to worry about the collective mind thing…_

_I guess there's that._

_Jake, it won't be as bad for the others. Their imprints are their first loves—for _all_ of them. It'll be fine. I think most people expect the fireworks to die down at some point._

_This is more than that, Sam, and you know it. They're going from…to…I can't even find the words to describe it!_

I tried to imagine how it would feel if I woke up one day not being _in_ love with Bella anymore. My world would seem empty. I'd stay for the kids, out of obligation to Bella, and because nothing would seem to matter anymore. It would be hell.

_I know it's not ideal, Jacob, _Sam responded, ignoring my thoughts of Bella_, but you know what would happen if we told them. All of them would stay with their imprints—every single one. I'm sure of it, because that's what I would have chosen. _Nothing_ could have kept me away from Emily unless it was necessary to ensure her happiness, like with Claire. Knowing would only taint their lives._

_It_ was wrong, but _Sam_ was right. Nothing good would come of knowing what lay ahead for Jared, Paul, Collin, and Quil. Even for my sister, keeping the secret was the only solution. She had a child now, and together with Paul, that was her family. I couldn't put a wedge in that and divide them, especially knowing Paul would never hate Rachel, never resent her, and never leave her. I _knew_ this. As much as he irritated the shit out of me, Paul was a decent guy. And I'd seen it in Sam's mind, too. Even though he was in love with Leah, he didn't begrudge Emily. If Sam could find peace with the obligation that lay before him, certainly the other guys, who had never been in love before imprinting, would be okay. _Okay_…something that would never be enough for me to be _truly_ happy.

I hurried home, saddened by the new knowledge and anxious to be with Bella. It was late enough that she should have been sleeping, but I noticed a light on in a downstairs window. Maybe Bella had waited up for me? But that wasn't the case.

On our front stoop I smelled it—smelled _him_. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Bella was on the other side, waiting for me.

"He told you I was outside?" I asked. Damned mind reading—why did I always forget about that?

Bella nodded. "He arrived a few minutes ago to tell us what happened."

"_Happened_? You mean from over a year ago?" What difference did it make _now_?

"Yes, Jacob," he said quietly from the other room. I heard him, but I knew Bella had not.

"He's talking to me," I said to her, motioning towards the living room.

She scrunched up her face. It was the expression she got when she was irritated, but she wasn't looking at me. She directed her glare to the other room. I took her hand and we made our way.

He looked the same, even his hair. He stood on one side of the room, not touching a thing. I also noticed he wasn't blinking.

"I'm out of practice. We no longer live among humans," he explained.

"Edward, would you reserve your replies to inquiries said aloud? The whole mind reading thing was fascinating when I was seventeen, but now it's just annoying."

"I shall do it for _you_, Bella."

"Thank you, Edward."

"Well, now that we've gotten the rules out of the way, how about updating us already so we can go to sleep?"

"We didn't contact you before because our situation was tenuous, and nothing would have changed for you. However, my family and I feel you should know about what is happening in _our_ world, as it may affect you one day. I hope not, but…" He shrugged.

"Is everyone all right, Edward?" Bella asked, concerned.

"We are as well as to be expected under the circumstances, but Rosalie and Emmett are gone, as is Irina. It happened a year ago."

"Oh, no! Rosalie, Emmett…both of them…how?"

"Rosalie was unlucky, and you know she was not at her best. Emmett took too many risks to save her, and when it was too late, he made no effort to fight. He simply allowed himself to be destroyed."

I felt bad. I had actually started to _not_ hate the blonde by the time they all left. Maybe it was more than just that; either way, I wouldn't have wished her to be destroyed. She _had_ saved my life, and she loved Bella and our children so much.

"The others…are they…?" Bella asked.

"We are fine and together. We have even reconciled with Irina's sisters."

"You said as well as could be expected… What did you mean by that?" I asked.

"That's what we wanted you to know. An underground network of vampires has formed. Our numbers have greatly diminished—many destroyed by bombs, and many others killed by other vampires as they fought over shrinking territories. Most are concentrated close to large cities, where they prey on the indigent. They are forced to limit themselves so the missing victims do not cause alarm and give away our refuge. The belief by most is that this will be an age that shall pass—not unlike the Middle Ages in Europe. They feed merely to survive but are awaiting the day when we can live above ground once more. Since your area is sparse in population, you won't be encountering any near here for the foreseeable future."

"Speaking of the future, doesn't your little crystal ball know when this is going to end?"

"She sees no end. Humans will get better at hunting and destroying us. Right now, they are not aware of _exactly_ what we are, and more importantly, that we are immortal. Our family is doing all we can to keep that from them because…"

"Because…what?"

"You can imagine how many would be willing to give up their human lives for immortality, am I right, Jacob?"

I nodded but said nothing.

"When Alice sees a decision that may result in humans learning of our immortality, we do what we can to stop it. This is the reason why we remain close to the rest of our kind, so we can efficiently police them."

"Is that your life now, Edward, for _all_ of you? Are you defending humanity?"

"There is no other pursuit left for us, and this one is an honorable one at that."

"_That's_ what was so critical you _had_ to come all this way to tell us?" Bella shot me a harsh look. "I appreciate what all of you are doing, and what you have done in the past, for everyone, but I don't see how any of this affects us_ now_."

"You know Carlisle well enough, I believe, to understand his insatiable curiosity about _your _kind." I nodded again. "He never stopped studying, and he has leaned much more since we last met. He felt you needed to know, too, in case something should happen—perhaps an uprising from our kind, or if our numbers increase exponentially due to humans wanting to gain immortality. Your son, should he ever phase, will have a gift. _Many_ of the pack's offspring very well may. Carlisle believes it has been slow to manifest because there had been two generations between the last pack and this one. In fact, Jacob, he thinks _you_ have a gift."

"What gift? I haven't noticed anything…"

"You have only been a wolf a little more than eight years."

"What could I possibly have that I wouldn't have figured out in eight years?"

"Something subtle, something you've never exercised because you were unaware of its presence. Do you recall your little parlor trick all those years ago?"

"Yeah, of course I remember." Who the hell _wouldn't_ remember getting a hit in on a guy who'd never been hit before?

"I think you can evade our special abilities. It's possible _all_ the wolves can—with practice. All of you are able to prevent Alice from seeing your future, so why not our other gifts?"

When he said it like _that_, it made some sense.

"Okay, great, I might have gifts…we might _all_ have them, but what does it matter? You said so yourself, no more vamps."

"You should learn to use them, just in case. And you need to tell your children. Remember what it was like for all of you when you first phased, not knowing so many things about yourselves."

He had a point. It had been frustrating having nothing to rely on except legends that had been passed down orally. I never wanted Trevor to phase, but like Edward said, if it happened, wouldn't I want him to be prepared, to have all the knowledge I was able to impart on him?

"How am I supposed to practice? Are you going to stay around and let me throw punches until one hits?"

"You can try it on Joshua."

"You want me to beat the hell out of Josh? I think I'll stick with you."

"You can try to block Joshua's talents."

"I don't have an imprint."

"One is not necessary to make your fate invisible to him."

I was ready to dismiss it when I remembered our night in the garage with Seth. I hadn't heard or seen Josh's explanation for Bella's freakish fertility when Seth had. At the time, I just assumed I was already human when this happened, but we had transformed pretty much in unison. Had I blocked him from getting in my head, or had Josh prevented me from getting into his?

Edward looked at me inquiringly, but I ignored him. He couldn't comment because he'd promised Bella, and I didn't want to talk about it with him.

"Okay, whatever. Anything else?" I said instead.

"Yes. Carlisle believes Trevor's food allergies are related to his…potential abilities."

"How can being deathly allergic to some foods be an _advantage_?"

"I don't have the answer to that. But Carlisle has found that your kind and ours have more similarities than one might think. Perhaps this is because we were once human ourselves. It has been our experience that any difference a human has that separates them from others becomes their advantage once changed. Never has a vampire been created who was weaker because of a difference." He nodded toward Bella. "If Bella had become one of us—"

"Watch where you go with this," I growled.

"I'm merely making a hypothetical case. As I was saying, if Bella had become one of us, I am quite certain she would not have ended up an anomalous, clumsy vampire, despite this distinguishing trait she possesses as a human."

Okay, that _was_ kind of funny. Not that I _liked_ thinking about Bella becoming one of them, but still…

Edward smiled at me, appearing as though he were suppressing a chuckle himself. Bella crossed her arms in front of her and scowled at both of us.

"We were talking about Trevor, not me," she said, pouting.

"Come on, Bells, this is a serious conversation. Don't take it personally." I put my arm around her shoulders and squeezed affectionately. "So, I agree, she wouldn't be the world's clumsiest vamp," I said to Edward, "but that wouldn't be an advantage."

"No, it alone would not, but perhaps she'd be the opposite and become an exceptionally graceful vampire, even by vampire standards."

"And Trevor would be what? An extra sturdy wolf able to eat everything?"

"As I've said, I don't know, although I can confidently say it is doubtful he manifested such dangerous human traits only to result in the ability to have a more varied diet once phased. He is the offspring of you, the born Alpha, and Bella, a human with an ability so strong she is able to use it, albeit unknowingly, while still human. She's been able to block many vampires' talents. The only way to find out what Trevor can do would be for him to phase."

"Are you telling me I should _force_ him to phase, out of curiosity?"

"Of course not, but he should be made aware of this. You may not be around forever. His potential may be subtle as well, and it will require much practice to develop fully."

"We'll consider what we'll tell him when he's older, but I don't see why it would be necessary. With all of you in hiding, how the hell would _any_ of them phase on the off chance anyone actually _wanted_ to?"

"You can call us. We've established a base for communications. It is to be used only for emergencies." He handed me a little metal case. It was exactly the same as the one he had given to Bella eight years ago.

"Really? You couldn't find a scrap piece of paper?"

"It may have to last several decades, perhaps longer."

I grabbed it out of his hand and grumbled, "Whatever. If that's all, you can go along your merry way."

"Wait! Don't leave yet…just wait here a minute. I want to give you something…for _all_ of you, especially Esme and Alice." Bella darted upstairs, leaving me alone with the douche. Great.

"I'm not ecstatic about this either," he muttered.

"I thought you weren't supposed to speak when not spoken to."

"She's not here, and I agreed to that for _her_, not you."

Why was I wasting my breath?

_Still fighting after all these years. You're _never_ going to let her go, are you?_ I thought, sneering in his direction.

"I will never let her go because I will never stop loving her."

_Sounds like a line out of a soap opera._

"You would do the same if our roles were reversed, at least until…"

_Until what?_

"Until her heart stopped beating."

_You never wanted that for her._

"No, I didn't. But I never knew we could have had a child _and_ forever."

_What the fuck? How do you know _that_?_

"Your thoughts are loud."

_I wasn't thinking about it!_

"Not actively, but it was there."

_You're going to tell her, aren't you? She does NOT need to know any more of this shit!_

"No reason to get upset. I will not be sharing that information with her."

_Why not? _I thought suspiciously.

"Why is that of any concern to you?"

_It's not, really, but I don't trust you. I know you're not keeping your mouth shut for _my_ sake._

"You know she could have had a child with me, but it is unclear if she would have survived it. Only the fate of the hypothetical child is known. And Bella has a family that needs her. She's happy—for now."

_That won't change. She'll _always_ be happy—I'll make sure of it._

"I'm sure you believe that, but if not, I'll be waiting."

_Well, _you'll_ be the one waiting until her heart stops beating because _I'm_ not going anywhere._

"Not willingly."

_Is that a threat?_

"No, a fact. You are no longer phasing, which means you are no longer immune to disease and age."

_Not immune, but I have a feeling I'm still pretty damn sturdy. You know, we still have our heightened senses and most of our strength._

"For now."

_What are you saying? You're going to wait around for me to get cancer? Have you been injecting radioactive material into my pillow or something?_

"I would never purposely take a human life, and I would certainly never put anything harmful near Bella or her children."

_Go ahead, wait all you want. I know you have all the time in the world…_

"That I do."

He turned away from me and looked out into nowhere and nothing.

Bella came downstairs shortly after, holding a large envelope in her hand.

"Here," she said, shoving the package at Edward. "It's some pictures of our family, and a letter for everyone. If you don't mind, will you wait until you are all together before reading it?"

"Of course, anything you ask, Bella."

He looked like he wanted to hug her, kiss her…something…but he hesitated before simply smiling and leaving with a subtle nod.

"What did you write in the letter?" I asked after he left.

She shrugged. "It was a thank you for everything they've done, and my condolences for Rosalie and Emmett. They did a lot for us—_for me_. I wanted to make sure they knew I was grateful."

"Oh. Come on, it's late."

"Yes, it is." Bella turned and began to make her way up the stairs when the loud roar of a car engine came to life. It was followed by the sound of squealing tires. She didn't turn to look outside. She didn't even miss a step.

I bounded up after her eagerly. I was the only person who captured her attention.

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><p><em>As promised, there is one more update, but this is sort of the end of the story. I say sort of because there is an Epilogue, but it's…different than the rest of the story. I hope you'll like it!<em>

_Oh, and I hope you enjoyed this, the last full chapter of the fic! I'd love to hear from you because I love getting reviews!_

_If you're interested in entering The Air The Sun's Musical Prompt Drabble Shot Contest, it's not too late. You have until May 11th (which is coming up soon). If you aren't entering you can still read the entries, leave reviews for our contestants, and come back to vote for your favorite one!_

_Visit: _theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com/304071(dot)html_ for access to the entries and a link to the contest rules and details._

_What else has a May 11th deadline? Voting for the iSparkle Awards! Yes, I am pimping it because I've been nominated. I fully admit to my pathetic and shameless self-pimping! Here's the link: _theisparkleawards(dot)moonfruit(dot)com/#/nominees/4562312492__


	18. Epilogue

_We are at the very end of the story. This epilogue is not written from Jacob's point of view like the rest of the story was. I generally do not change point of view within one story, but I do make exceptions for epilogues. _

_Thank you **JaspersDestiny** for all the help you have given me with this story. Although you weren't there from the very beginning, you had a bigger impact than anyone else along the way. (Not to shirk everyone else, but she was around for the most number of chapters, after all.) I've learned a lot from you and can only hope to remember a little of what you've taught me and not run screaming at the sight of a comma!_

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

In the depths below the city, in the darkest recesses of the sewer system, there were ancient tunnels no longer used by humans. Many had been filled, or had collapsed from the pressure of decades of new construction. Now, they were dug out, repaired, and cleaned—creating new homes for the minions who found themselves relegated to these caverns, only able to step out a few times every season to keep from slipping into thirst-driven insanity.

The largest group inhabited the biggest and driest hollow. No others dared to approach them. With nine in total, they more than doubled the numbers of other bands once regarded as sizeable.

And yet, they were the least ferocious, the least likely to kill or be consumed by bloodlust. For those who knew the difference, their yellow eyes gave away their compassion for humans—yellow that had once glowed like topaz, now dull like brown mustard evidence of a dissatisfying diet.

"Edward, did you see her?"

"What about the children? Have they grown?"

"Did Jacob give you trouble?"

"Were they aware of their gifts before you told them?"

"Who shall I answer first?" Edward replied.

All were eager for news, for _anything_ that would change the monotony of living hidden in the shadows.

"You go ahead, Eleazar. Your questions are important, not personal."

"Dear Alice, none are so important that it needs immediate attention. Let us hear news of Bella's children. I believe we are all in need of something bright."

"Why does she constantly have to be the center of all your conversations? It was because of her husband that Irina, our sister, was destroyed."

"Tanya, we are sorry. I hope you believe me when I tell you I did all I could, but she was so determined. It clouded her judgment, and that's how she fell into one of their traps."

"You really need to let this go, Tanya. We're going to be stuck down here together for a long time. She was trying to ruin their lives! What would you expect anyone to do in the same situation? And over what—Laurent? She knew him mere months!"

"Alice, that's quite enough. Tanya, we understand you are grieving. You need not be part of this conversation. If it will make you more comfortable, we can remove ourselves to a different location."

"Don't bother, Carlisle. There are seven of you and two of us. We'll be the ones to leave. Maybe we'll find something more palatable than rats—perhaps a stray cat or two."

The two blonde figures left through a dark tunnel without another word.

"Edward, please! They're gone now; tell us, have the children grown?"

"It was late when I arrived, and the children were all asleep."

"Oh… You _did_ talk to Bella, though, didn't you?"

"Yes, and I have some news. She had another baby, a girl. Her name is Ava, and she is so beautiful."

"You _saw_ her? Did he let you?"

"He wasn't home yet, and she's still an infant. I was allowed to walk in and look at her as she slept, just as I had once… Well, in any case, she is an angel with pursed, pink lips, long, dark lashes, and soft skin the color of toffee."

"Oh, Edward, you _touched_ the baby…?" The lady with the caramel hair reached out with her hand, as though by stretching towards him she may also feel the child's skin.

"I did, Esme. I wish you could have come with me."

The lady only nodded. She reached across her chest and put her hand over the stump where her right arm once was.

"Jacob came home all too quickly for me, but he behaved well—for him. Both of them appear happier, more…content than the last time we saw them."

"If she's happy, that's wonderful. It's what matters most."

"Now to Eleazar… They were not aware of any further abilities they may have; however, Joshua's talents are more far reaching than was first anticipated. Many of their questions around imprinting have been answered, some with sad outcomes."

"What do you mean, Edward?"

"Ava, their new baby, was to be Seth's imprint."

"But how is that sad? Seth is such a lovely person, and Bella loves him so."

"You forget, Esme my darling, how age and relationship matter so much to humans. Even compared to your time, things have changed."

"Oh, yes. I suppose Seth would be quite a bit older…but once she is grown, couldn't…?"

"It's twenty-two years, Esme, and he is the child's uncle."

"Oh, such trivialities! He's not a relation at all! There is no blood shared between him and this child!"

"Carmen, it has been such a long time since _you_ were part of the human world. You must have forgotten how important acceptance in society is for their happiness."

"So, what's happened? Are they angry with Seth?"

"No, Seth has taken it upon himself to never lay eyes on her. He has moved to New York, and he plans to make arrangements with Jacob before ever visiting his family in La Push. He shall never imprint on Ava."

"That's absolutely horrible! She's the one he was meant to be with, his _soul mate_!"

"I'm doubting our previous assumptions about imprinting. It would appear that imprints _can_ break, another fact discovered by Joshua. Emily had an illness, and the treatment rendered her sterile. The moment her body was unable to reproduce, Sam's imprint on her vanished."

"No! Does he still…_love_ her?"

"He cares for her, but it's not the same."

"Jacob told you all this?"

"Of course not, but his mind works the same way as it has in the past. I don't know why, but his thoughts are louder and clearer to me than almost anyone else's. Much of this information he wasn't even actively thinking about. I was able to delve deep enough to extract it."

"Well, it would appear Jacob is completely unaware of his gift."

"Unaware, but it develops even without exercise."

"What do you mean?"

"When I gave him the…contact information…I used the same kind of metal case I gave to Bella many years ago. I suppose my envy overwhelmed me enough that I wanted to find some small way of hurting him. Anyhow, he recognized it, but I was unable to read how he felt when he saw it. I assume it stirred some emotion in him, as he did make a snide remark…and yet, in that one moment, the only time I truly wanted to know how he felt, I was blind to him."

"He does it without even knowing…_fascinating_."

"What's this, Edward, in your hand?"

"Ah, yes, photographs of the family, and a letter."

"Oh, oh! Give them to me! You've been holding out."

Five of them gathered together, passing the photographs amongst themselves. The other two stood aside, allowing their companions to have their moment of joy.

"There's a letter, too, remember?"

"Oh, look at this one, Esme! It's the whole family, along with the new baby!"

"Alice, there's one of just the baby. She has the most darling face!"

"Let's hear her letter, Edward."

"Come on, ladies. There'll be plenty of time to go over the pictures later."

There was always plenty of that—time, that is.

"Go ahead, Edward, why don't you read it to all of us?"

He slowly unfolded the paper. It was plain white with handwriting that didn't run parallel to the top. Edward saw it all before he began—vampire eyes read too quickly sometimes.

_Dear Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Alice, _

_First, I'd like to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Rose and Emmett, but I'm sure they had a wonderful life during the many decades they shared with each other. Rose did so much for Jacob—for me—as have all of you, and her sacrifice is one I shall honor every day. _

_During those last few days she spent with me in Forks, I got to know a different woman. I had never known Rosalie to be as vulnerable and as gentle as she was when my children were near. Rose taught me to appreciate what I have. _

_The years that followed after your family moved away were difficult ones for me. They were filled with disappointment and unexpected challenges that I had allowed to cloud the gifts I was granted, and I wasted precious time that I could have spent enjoying my life. _

_The selfish girl I thought I had left behind wasn't truly gone. My self-centered nature couldn't be eradicated, only suppressed. Once reality threw me into the world of adult responsibilities—devoid of the perfection I had imagined it should have been once true love was found—I could suppress it no longer. Rose saw this, and it was she who shone light on it. I owe her the happiness I live with every day now, and the love, untainted by resentment, that I hold for my husband and children._

_I also want to thank all of you for what you have done. Your compassion, sacrifice, and efforts have provided a safe world to raise my children in. It has given me my husband back, as he no longer needs to protect his people from supernatural forces. _

_Please know that my thoughts are still with you. The years have not faded the affection my human heart holds for each and every one of you. You have made my life happy and blessed—a life I once resented—and I wish the same for you. _

_Though you live in darkness and suffer without earthly comforts, you remain together, always a family. I know the day shall come when you will be walking in the light again, no longer relegated to the bowels of the earth._

_With love, respect, and gratitude,_

_Bella Black_

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><p><em>Now, the End Notes that are almost as long as the update:<em>

_I hope this sequel provided satisfactory answers to questions that remained after Journey to a New Day, and the new ones that cropped up in Every Rose. _

_As for anything that seemed unanswered at the conclusion (example: Sam/Leah/Emily, Seth, the future for the Cullens), those were "tools" I used to carry my message (imprinting sucks) and not the focus of this fic. You are free to imagine what their fates would have been._

_Questions? Leave a review, and I'll address them. Be nice, please? Of course, please feel free to review even if you don't have questions!_

_Wait, wait, wait, there some self-pimping and info on what I'm going to work on next!_

_iSparkle Awards are still open for voting but only until May 11th. I have been nominated for The Underdog Award, and my story: Ascent from Darkness, as been nominated for The Screamer Award. Here's the link: __theisparkleawards(dot)moonfruit_(dot)_com/ - /nominees/4562312492_

__I've been nominated for three Eclipse Awards: Best Jacob in a Full Length Fic (Ascent from Darkness), Best One Shot - Drama (Damn Kid), Best One Shot - Suspense/Thriller. You can vote here: t__wilighteclipseawards(dot)blogspot(dot)ca/p/vote(dot)html__

_My one shot, The Dark Man and the Pale Man, has been nominated for Best One Shot in the Wordsmith Awards. Voting begins on May 17th. You can check out the other nominees at: __wordsmithawards_(dot)_blogspot_(dot)_ca_

__The Air The Sun's Anonymous Musical Prompt Drabble Shot Contest is still open for submissions, but not for much longer! Entries will be accepted until May 11th. Ten entries have already been posted-some from very well known authors! You do not need to be a member of theair-thesun, or have an LJ account, to enter, read, and/or vote! If you're there reading, please give the authors some love by leaving a review. Story Index & link for contest details: ____theair-thesun(dot)livejournal(dot)com/304071(dot)html__

__As for me, I will be taking a short hiatus from multi-chapter stories. That doesn't mean I won't be around. I'll be participating in contests, writing challenges over at Jacob Black N Pack (jacobblack-n-pack(dot)ning(dot)com – I hang out there a lot), finishing the last one shot for my Masks/Chains "series" of one shots, and planning my next WIP.__

__The one thing I do know about my next multi-chap is that it will be different from what I've been doing. What does that mean? For one, no Volturi! It's still going to be canon deviation, most likely Jacob/Bella, and will have some element of angst but I'm hoping to focus more on the ____romance than adventure (I make no promises!).__

__Be on the lookout for my new WIP!__

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><p><em><em><em>Last note for those interested:<em>__

___Was my interpretation of imprinting in this story canon compliant?___

___Yes! (In my opinion of course [which I believe to be correct ;) ])___

___First off, let's begin with Eclipse where Jacob tells Bella that the wolf becomes whatever the imprint needs at that time, whether that be a friend, brother, lover, etc... Well, then why would Sam's imprint on Emily break when she needs a loving, supportive husband?___

Let's go back to Jacob's understanding of imprinting first. How does he know this? All his knowledge is based on legends, oral histories, and what Sam, Jared, and Quil have imparted on him through their thoughts. The issue here is that the legends and oral histories cannot be trusted as complete, or entirely factual. We've all played broken telephone and know what happens when stories are passed down from one person to another. We know they were only passed orally because Emily was scribing them during the bonfire. If they existed in any other format, she wouldn't have to scribe frantically while the Elders recited them.

A specific example that the legends and histories have inaccuracies and/or omissions, is that there was never any mention of women phasing, yet Leah phased. Sure, perhaps she was the very first female wolf, but by that token it would imply the characteristics of the wolf could change and/or evolve through time and/or circumstance-that could include any aspect, including imprinting.

Why does imprinting exist? No one knows for certain what its purpose is. Sam had one theory and Billy had another. Neither knew for sure if theirs was correct, if either of them were at all. One thing both theories had in common was that they centered on the production of offspring. It would appear providing progeny is likely to be the main purpose for imprinting, if not the only reason.

As for the wolf becoming whatever the imprint needed, this was how Sam, Jared, and Quil felt. But at that time, all their imprints were young, healthy, and able to bear children (we assume). Even Claire, who is a child, is a viable mother since girls are born with all the eggs they will ever have (in fact, all the eggs they will ever have are created while still in utero). Not a single one of them have experienced their imprints aging, suffering severe internal illness/injury, or exposure to harmful contaminants (as far as canon tell us). Everything those wolves know is based on just a few months-perhaps up to a year in Sam's case-of being imprinted on young, healthy women/girls.

What does that mean for fanfic writers? A lot of imprinting theories are fair game, without breaking canon, including mine!


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